


Fernweh

by GivemeRiddle



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Naruto
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Development, Character Study, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Death, Deviates From Canon, Drama, Epic, Family, Gay, Gen, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Manipulative Tom Riddle, POV Tom Riddle, Plot, Plotty, Pre-Canon, Relationship(s), Rise of Voldemort, Romance, Slash, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Teasing, Teenage Tom Riddle, Tom Riddle is His Own Warning, Torture, Violence, World War II, Yaoi, or whatever romance Tom is capable of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:15:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 45,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23092453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GivemeRiddle/pseuds/GivemeRiddle
Summary: Tom Riddle has enough of Dumbledore and drops out of Hogwarts to travel the world. When he arrives at Japan, in the midst of WW2, he discovers ancient magic covering the area. A little bit of probing and there's white blinding light. A whole world lies await with magic used in ways seen only centuries ago.For Power, War, Immortality and Sassy Snakes.
Comments: 28
Kudos: 102
Collections: Crossover Favorites, Crossover pairings, Epic Crossovers, Lord Voldemort or Tom Riddle or Dark Lord - Villains, Relationship Crossovers Slow Burn





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Harry Potter, Naruto and all involved characters do not belong to me.  
> Beta: Linux-Ginny; chapter overhauled and revised for grammatical errors on 16thMarch2020

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Lots of time jumps in the first two chapters since I didn’t want to explain everyday occurrences of Tom growing up. I promise it smoothens out chapter three onwards.  
> PS. Very excited to share my idea with you guys; hope you like it!

> _**Fernweh**_ _(german) (n.) an ache for distant places:_
> 
> _Missing places you’ve never been; “Craving for Travel”_

**Chapter One: The Beginning**

_‘Anger may in time change to gladness; vexation may be succeeded by content.  
But a kingdom that has once been destroyed can never come again into being;   
nor can the dead ever be brought back to life.’_

-Chapter XII: The Attack By Fire, The Art Of War

**2 ndFebruary1939**

When he finally arrived, the sky was painted a bloody red on the horizon; a macabre, yet fitting twilight. Smoke rose in seams making playful swirls in its wake like little whirlpools. He walked cautiously through the rubble noting a stark difference from the lively marketplace he had visited only a month ago. There were bodies littered around the streets, most of them lying on the city front facing south.

At the end of the street, there was a room filled to the brim with at least hundred burnt little bodies. The smell of burnt flesh was still lingering in the air. The children had died in sheer terror and agony.

There was but one survivor.

His lower half was crushed by rubble and was obviously in pain. Hiruzen was late. Hiruzen wanted to grant him the sweet mercy of death. Hiruzen wanted to apologise. He did none of those things, of course. Instead, he bent down to listen when the man began to speak. His words were spaced and forced, as his body began to succumb to shock.

“Kiri.. Iwa... fuinj-scrolls kage-”

He was gurgling out blood now. Hiruzen quickly slit his throat.

The man’s words were far too late. They already knew of the Iwa-Kiri alliance. The bastards had swung around and cut off Konoha’s approach, because of which Uzushiogakure had fallen. Kiri’s silence up until this point had caught them by surprise and Iwa’s presence did not help. His eyes glazed for a moment as he looked to the horizon.

The Uzumaki Clans, though few in number, led long lives and were formidable and powerful. More importantly, they were feared.

It really was not much of a surprise that their defeat was cause for celebration for all but their allies. Their lore in fuinjutsu was renowned,. And then there was the main branch’s kekke genkai, that he had seen Mito-sama herself use. Those chakra chains were known to trap bijuu and their full use and extent still wasn’t researched.

_And now we will never know._

The Professor in him died a little.

_Now is not the time to grieve. We must get out of here and fast._

The man was right though. If it was at all possible, they had to get to the scrolls before they fell into enemy hands.

He quickly made his way to the library and found that it did not allow entry to anyone except those of Uzumaki blood. He hesitated to leave them there. Perhaps he should send Jiraiya with a small team to recover what they could. Time was of the essence. Hiruzen ordered to quickly burn what was left of the dead and fall back.  
  
He picked his way through the trees as fast as possible. His army was quiet and did not make even a whisper as they passed by with silent tears streaming down their faces. This kind of carnage was unprecedented; it made him wonder if bijuu were involved. He must remain stoic. As Hokage, it was his duty to give the news to his people.

And Konoha would mourn.

* * *

**12 thMay 1929**

Tom Riddle was a 2-year-old ominously quiet child with a cherubic face, long lashes and tousled brown hair.

He was also a very precocious child. He knew that the matrons were quite unnerved by his disposition. Which is why he took to smiling at them charmingly when he needed something and ignoring their existence when he received what he wanted. They eyed him knowingly and tittered jealously about how he would leave heartbroken women in his wake.

Wool’s was a dreary grey orphanage that was, like all orphanages everywhere, understaffed and overworked. Little children in grey tunics and smudged faces earning their keep was all he had ever known since he had been born. One wondered at his mental acuity at such a young age. His eyes were a sharp grey, his observations keen, and linguistic ability far beyond his years. But even a genius was limited at the age of 2 by the dearth of knowledge he had received and the little world he had seen so far.

 _I’m cold._  
“I want a blanket,” he demanded from his caretaker. He had long known she was not his mother, though she had fed him from her own breasts.  
She wasn’t really paying attention to him. They never did.

He reached out to the jar at his bedside and dropped it, causing a resounding crash. He then rolled over pretending to fall. He smirked when the caretaker predictably rushed to his side and began fussing.

“Cold,” he said, looking at her with his big eyes.

“Oh Tom, you know we don’t have any more blankets,” she whispered sadly. He scoffed at her pretense of caring. He knew she didn’t care if he froze to death.

He frowned at her and decided against arguing with her; there was no point. He had tried wailing; the noise had been atrocious and his head had hurt for ages after. Now he just ordered people around by sheer power of will.

Later at night he lay in bed shivering. His teeth chattered, his body not responding to his will. The caretaker looked at him once, seemingly sympathetic, but had left him, nonetheless. He wanted, he _needed_ to be warmer. He wasn’t like the other children. He was always cold.

He squeezed his eyes shut, wanting to be warm _so badly_ , that a blanket popped into existence on top of him. He stared at it, flummoxed for several moments. He looked around to see if someone had put it on him, maybe that caretaker. There was no one around. _Curious_.

He closed his eyes and wished for more blankets.

He woke up the next morning under 5 blankets. Curiouser still were the three bed mates who had come down with pneumonia the previous night. Even curiouser was the resounding slap his caretaker generously bestowed him with while the other matrons stood and watched in anger.

“Fuckin’ little thief,” they all said.

“Selfish bastard” they said. “Stealing from other children, thinking he ought to get more than his lot.”

His eyes narrowed at them in defiance and he decided to go with honesty for a change.  
“I did _not_ steal these.”

“Of course, you didn’t,” scoffed one young smarmy looking matron.

“They just appeared over you, did they?”

_Yeah, actually._

“I did not steal these.” he repeated, his eyes mutinous. He was immediately backhanded for his defiance.

_I.DID.NOT.STEAL._

The blankets were on the caretaker now, over her face, suffocating her as she flailed helplessly.

She screamed, desperately trying to pry the blanket off her face, while the matrons looked around looking for the culprit. He was perfectly stationary.

Tom Riddle smiled.

* * *

**2 ndFebruary 1931**

He was 4 and weeding the yard out front. The grass was dry, almost grey, and bordered by a small grey fence that was about as tall as he was, with a small grey double hinged wooden gate in the centre that lead to the door.

There was a slight nip in the air. The children and matrons gave him a wide berth and so he was isolated into mundane and unnecessary work such as weed picking, which suited him just fine.

It was a little over a year since his little display of power, since the caretaker had been declared barmy. He smirked as he thought of that old hag. _After all, who would doubt poor, beautiful Riddle._

Even so, they took him to church and shoved a bible in his hand. When he looked at it blankly, they cooed.

 _Fools_. He had read the drivel of course. Took him about a month. He wondered what would happen if he ran his mouth on what he really thought about religion. _Nothing good_ , he thought, feeling annoyed and oddly suffocated.

Despite _their_ fear of him, a priest had nonetheless been summoned to come and talk to him. Just in case. His expression curdled. _That_ had been an annoyingly pointless conversation.

The priest had been pedantic, rude and insulting. Tom had taken to putting up an absolutely perfect front on subsequent visits. Just to get the drivel over with.

Since the little _incident_ with the blankets, he had started to focus more and more on the little ball of energy within him to call objects to himself or expel them or simply make them float around.

He knew he was different.

He knew he was Special.

He wondered if there were more like him. _Unlikely. They wouldn’t leave me in this dump._

All he knew that he was far superior to the others at this orphanage.

He took a deep breath and expanded his senses. He instinctively knew where the weeds were, on account of studying the feel of the little plant in his hand. He opened his palm and a tiny flame appeared, to burn it.

 **Burn** , he almost hissed.

The weeds around him burned enthusiastically and as suddenly as the fire had appeared, it also quelled. Feeling satisfied and more than a little tired because of that little stunt, he lay down under a gnarled tree, next to the fence. He stared at the clouds, wondering what to do next.

A shadow fell over him.

“You wouldn’t happen to have the time, son?” A voice over the fence croaked.

He sat up in a rush, not used to being taken by surprise. The ability to sense the approach of another creature was one of his newfound abilities.

The man was old, older than he had ever seen. He had wrinkles on his mongoloid features. He wore a shabby suit, but his almond eyes smiled down at him.

“You aren’t from around here,” Tom blurted out. He was immediately embarrassed, a bit discomfited by the lack of control.

The man chuckled.

“Oh, I am far from home. I simply followed the snakes.”

“Snakes?!” A wariness was beginning to creep on him.

“I wonder…” the man trailed off and rummaged through his bag. He recovered a thin looking book. “Here, take this.”

Tom was suspicious. People never offered him anything for free. He had also been warned against strange men. He stared at it blankly.

“It won’t bite,” chuckled the man. Tom looked at him.

“Don’t you know knowledge is power? And here I was ready to part with this gift I got in Japan….”

Before he was even aware of it, Tom’s hand had shot out to snatch the treasure away.

“Japan?” He asked, curiously.

The man was amused. “Oh yes. That book was translated from Mandarin; that is spoken in China though. It is always good to learn a few languages.”

Tom nodded distractedly. He was already thumbing the thin book. Belatedly, he wondered if this was where he must... thank the man.

He looked up. The man was gone.

Tom frowned.

A little spooked, and not ready to admit it, he settled down against the tree to read, opening a page at random.

_‘Whether the object be to crush an army, to storm a city, or to assassinate an individual, it is always necessary to begin by finding out the names of the attendants, the aides-de-camp, door keepers and sentries of the general in command. Our spies must be commissioned to ascertain these._

_The enemy’s spies who have come to spy on-‘_

The sound of hissing interrupted him. ‘Nasstyy humans plod around so heavily. No respect for the game.”

Alarmed, Tom found himself looking at a small - _green, with a yellow and black collar, pale belly, and dark markings down the side_ \- grass snake: “this human isn’t very smart, is he? Look at him stare down at me. Why won’t he stop??… I will bite him!’

‘Do NOT bite me!’ Tom was befuddled. The snake stilled. “A Speaker!”

The snake slithered quickly towards him, causing him to rear back rapidly. “Human! The days are cold,” he lamented. “You must cease this incessant plodding around. The game has all but disappeared. You must sacrifice yourself as a source of heat-”

… _what in the world?! Why. What. Why was a crabby snake -?!Hold On. Am I speaking to a snake?!_

“… Mr. Snake?”

“Yes, Human?”  
“Do you talk to a lot of humans?”

“Of course not, speaker!” The snake was affronted. Tom’s mind did a summersault. _Snakes have expressions?!_

“We haven’t seen a speaker in a decade or two. May I stay with you? Why were you carrying that musty tome, there were more at my nest—"

_Does this snake ever shut up? Wait a minute-_

“Did you say you have more books?”

“Yes speaker, it is in one of the human nests, further down from here. There are many, many tomes; they make me sneeze. Humans stare at them daily”’

The snake looked pleased; he had imparted crucial knowledge.

_A library. The snake speaks of a potential library._

Tom had to sit down. It had been an odd day, and there was a snake curled on his chest looking for heat.

* * *

**15 thJune 1931**

He was lazing in the garden again, reading his book in the sun, with Mr.Snake curled up at his side. He had to admit, Mr. Snake was more resourceful than he first realized. It was through Mr. Snake’s knowledge that he realized his ability to sense approaching people was through vibrations. No wonder he always had a resounding migraine when it was too loud around him. He shoved his fingers in his ears, trying to figure out the difference. He really needed to do something about this. Earmuffs maybe? He scoffed. _There is no money and definitely not in the summer._

He was violently jarred out of his musings when the bane of his very existence at all of 5 years old, snatched his book out of his hands.  
“Oh-ho! What is little Tommy reading now?” Billy Stubbs held up the book upside down in disgust.

“Appen-dix,” he stumbled over the word. It was a medical book from the library Mr. Snake showed him and he did not have the money for a fine in case Billy decided to do something stupid.

“Too fancy to play with us lowly mortals, eh?” It was astounding that Billy even managed to pronounce all the words in that sentence. He was probably emulating their matron. He was ripping the pages of the book with gusto now.

Suffice to say, angry was a mild word in Tom’s dictionary.

“May-maybe you shouldn’t do that, Billy,” a shy voice spoke from behind him.

Billy turned around to find Amy Benson, who was standing a little way off. She cowered from him a little. Whatever little sympathy Tom had for her shriveled up and died and when she shrieked, catching sight of Mr. Snake next to him.

 _Oh no._ “RUN! MR. SNAKE” he hissed desperately.

Mr. Snake didn’t make a move despite Tom’s desperate pleas. It was once explained to him by Mr.Snake that reptiles were selfish creatures. They did not fend for anyone but themselves and their nest mates.

Tom’s eyes widen. _Mr. Snake thinks I’m his nest mate!_

“Freak! Hissing at snakes; they don’t understand you,” Billy shoved Tom out of the way.

Tom paled. He was significantly smaller in size compared to Billy. He wasn’t allowed the time to think before Billy was stomping on Mr. Snake- he was trying to pull Billy away- Billy was viciously kicking-

The wind was knocked out of him when Billy threw a punch to his stomach.

ENOUGH

A gust of wind blew through the yard, smacking Amy and Billy away against a rock, knocking them out cold almost instantaneously.

He held the bloodied remains of Mr. Snake in his hands, silent tears running down his face. He hadn’t really thought of Mr. Snake as his first and only friend, until he was gone. Who will talk to him and snipe at him now? Mr. Snake was never scared of him. Mr. Snake only ever helped him. _Mr. Snake was MINE._

He decided then and there that making friends was not worth it if this was how it felt when they were gone.

He went into the woods bordering the yard and dug a small hole in the ground. He carved Mr. Snake on to rock as an epitaph.  
  


The next day, Billy’s pet rabbit hung from the rafters by its neck.

* * *

**17 th June, 1931**

_‘The skillful tactician may be likened to the shuai-jan. Now the shuai-jan is a snake that is found in the Ch’ang mountains. Strike at its head, and you will be attacked by its tail; strike at its tail, and you will be attacked by its head; strike at its middle, and you will be attacked by head and tail both’_

Tom’s debacle with the hissing snake, had, of course, spread like wildfire throughout the orphanage. Billy’s dead rabbit was talked about in hushed whispers. And Mrs. Cole’s attention finally fell on Tom. He was taken to the church again. This time he was exorcised. Only the devil spoke to snakes. He was told to hold his hands out while a conscription of hundred beatings with the cane was inflicted on his knuckles. He did not flinch even once, which made the priest angrier.

Mrs. Cole took it upon herself to cure him. Perhaps, she thought if she punished him enough, he would cease this blasphemous behavior.  
He was locked in a broom cupboard for an entire day with absolutely no reprieve.  
Putting a child in a small, dark room with barely any place to stand, no food or water, and no bathroom facilities was a psychological landmine.  
The children jeered from outside while inside, Tom, quite understandably, raged. The children found the confidence they needed when it came to dealing with him and began tormenting him.  
This was quite unfortunate.

For them.

Some of the older boys thought it would be a hoot and a half to beat Tommy up at night while he slept. They snuck into his room in the middle of the night and beat him up black and blue.  
They broke his femur. For once, the energy inside Tommy’s chest did not respond to him. The four-year-old took the beating and kept his screams to a minimal, which was a kind of dignity you would be hard pressed to find in many adults.  
The next day, the matrons turned a blind eye to his split lip and his swollen leg. Growing boys roughhouse, everybody knew _that_.

Tom’s book from the library, carefully pasted together, gave him the basic anatomical information he required. He read with one keen eye (since the other was swollen shut) about bones, blood and lymph, and about inflammation and body responses.

He held his hand over his leg and **WILLED.** He willed for all his injuries to go away.

He did not know if this would work, but he had to try. The pain was excruciating, and no one was going to take him to the doctor. So, he imagined the little blood vessels anastomosing the crack between the bone realigning and healing. A soft green light was emanating from his hand. The swelling did not go down immediately, but the pain had become tolerable.

By that very evening, he was busy plotting.

The next day saw the three boys with similar fractures and accompanying broken noses.  
From each of them, he took a souvenir (a yo-yo, a silver thimble and a tarnished mouth organ) and put it in his cupboard.

When asked, none of them gave Mrs. Cole a name of their assailant, but all of them had the fear of god in their eyes.

Tom himself was not satisfied. Getting payback was easy.  
He prayed for the day his enemies re-considered and hesitated a hundred times before attempting to even _think_ his name in their silly little heads again.

* * *

**8 thJune 1936**

Summertime sometimes meant that the orphanage organized little excursions to the beach mostly. It didn’t matter that there were clouds in the sky almost every time they took this trip; it was practically a sunny day, as far as Mrs. Cole was concerned. Tom personally felt it to be a heedless chore. He was happiest in the musty library surrounded by his books and serpents. If he could live there, he would.  
  


Tom had acquainted himself with a few more snakes. He carried Mopey with him to the beach on this year’s trip. He hadn’t forgotten about Mr. Snake. He exacted his revenge on that idiot Billy already. Now all he needed was-

“Hiya Tom!” Amy chirped from behind him. She wore red swim wear with white polka dots and had two golden pigtails.  
  
 _Such a naïve child. She thinks I have forgiven her. She thinks I have forgotten about what_ she _had done to him. Oh, well.  
_ The poor girl probably fancied him.  
  
“Hello Amy,” his smile was practically angelic. “Do you want to explore the creeks later?”

The silly girl was ecstatic.  
All in all, it wasn’t very difficult to persuade her to follow him to a creek he had already scouted out on his previous visits. He coaxed her to swim in the high tide and reach a little cave that was hidden from view, just so.

He was aware the world did not approve of hurting people. But the world had never given _him_ the same consideration.

It wasn’t difficult at all to make little cuts over her arms with a little sharp rock he procured a few weeks ago until she was bleeding, crying, blubbering mess.

  
Quite stupidly, Dennis Bishop had followed them into this cave. No doubt, he wanted to be the hero of this story. Too bad Tom didn’t care for snitches. Dennis Bishop was now crying in horror on the floor and Tom stood over him, impassively. He blinked slowly.

“Are you going to tell anybody about this?” Tom asked Dennis as he stared at the blubbering boy.

Dennis Bishop had wet his pants, but that would not be his only problem if he did not comply.

* * *

**2 ndAugust 1938**

Tom had turned 11 years old last December, and suffice to say, he was not happy. There had been whispers of another war brewing. Talk about a Lugou Bridge incident during that battle between China’s National Revolutionary Army and the Imperial Japanese Army. This was the second time he had heard of Japan’s strength and prowess on the battle front.

_I wonder where I can learn more._

Tensions were coming to a head. There were whispers of an invisible yet formidable foe in Germany.

_Whispers of Hitler…_

But that really was not why he was presently upset. Only 2 days ago, he had received a letter. A letter from a Hogwart’s School of Magic. As if someone was keeping tabs on him, suffice to say, Tom had spent two extremely paranoid days. The letter had said that someone would come to introduce themselves to the non-magical folk that he lived with, to explain everything to them. The date was for today.

So Tom lay on his bed staring at the ceiling, counting backwards slowly in his head.

There were footsteps and then voices outside his door. Mrs. Cole rapped on his door twice and entered without him saying anything.  
 **“Tom? You’ve got a visitor. This is Mr. Dumberton – sorry, Dunderbore. He’s come to tell you- well, I’ll let him do it”**

 **Tom** **sat up immediately on top of the grey blankets, legs stretched out in front of him, holding a book.** He did not want to engage with this trickster from a position of weakness.

Tom’s eyes narrowed as he took in _Dunderbore_ ’s eccentric appearance. There was really not much he could say about his ghastly cut suit of plum velvet.

**There was a moment of silence.**

**  
“How do you do, Tom?”** **said Dumbledore, walking forward holding out his hand.**

**Tom hesitate** **d, then took it, and they shook hands. Dumbledore drew up the hard-wooden chair beside him, so that they looked like a hospital patient and visitor.**

**“I am Professor Dumbledore.”**

 **“Professor?”** A suspicion began to form in his mind.

**“Is that like a doctor? What are you here for? Did _she_ get you to have a look at me?”**

Mrs. Cole had been quite obviously inebriated when she had walked in earlier. While that in itself was not a cause for alarm, it was certainly troubling to think about what she might have revealed in her drunken stupor to this imposter. His hope that this Dumbledore took her words with a pinch of salt died when Tom looked into his eyes.

 _She got to you already, didn’t she? I can see it in your eyes. You already dislike me. The most I can do_ _is try and overwhelm you._

But that was easier said than done. Even from their small interaction, he can tell this man’s energy- _magic_ was far, far superior to his. If all the adults in this new world were as powerful as this one, he would have to tread carefully.

But he was backed into a corner. And he liked the idea of school, the idea that there were more like him, that he could learn and be more powerful. No, he needed to eliminate all doubts, He _need_ _ed_ for this to be true.

 **“No, no,”** The Man was smiling.

 **“I don’t believe you. She wants me looked at, doesn’t she? Tell the truth!”** Tom infused it with as much magic as he could. This needed to be foolproof.  
  
The insipid man was still smiling. _This wasn’t working. Why wasn’t this working?_

**“Who are you?” Tom asked.**

**“I have told you. My name is Professor Dumbledore and I work at a school called Hogwarts. I have come to offer you a place at school- your new school, if you would like to come.”  
  
** _I need to make this convincing._ Tom leapt out of bed and backed away from the man, looking furious.

**“You can’t kid me! The asylum, that’s where you’re from, isn’t it? “Professor”, yes, of course – well I’m not going, see? That old cat’s the one who should be in the asylum. I never did anything to little Amy Benson or Dennis Bishop, and you can ask them, they’ll tell you!”**

**“I’m not from the asylum” Dumbledore intoned patiently. “I am a teacher and, if you will sit down calmly, I shall tell you about Hogwarts. Of course, if you would rather not come to the school, nobody will force you-”**

**“I’d like to see them try,” Tom sneered.**

**“Hogwarts is a school for people with special abilities-”**

**“I’m not mad!” Tom exclaimed.**

**“I know that you are not mad. Hogwarts is not a school for mad people. It is a school of magic”**

**“… _Magic_?” ** _Took your own sweet time to admit it, didn’t you old man?_

**“That’s right”**

**“it’s… it’s magic, what I can do?”**

**“What is it that you can do?” He asked.** Tom could tell he was probing. _Oh well... in for a penny.._

 **“All sorts.”** Tom couldn’t help but feel a rush of excitement. It’s not like he could disclose what he could do to anybody and everybody. 

**“I can make things move without touching them. I can make animals do what I want them to do, without training them. I can make bad things happen to people who annoy me. I can make them hurt if I want to.”**

**His legs were trembling. He stumbled forwards and sat down on the bed again, staring at his hands, his head bowed as though in a prayer.**

_A New Beginning._

**“I knew I was different,” he whispered to his own quivering fingers, “I knew I was special. Always, I knew there was something.”**

**“Well, you were quite right” said Dumbledore, who was no longer smiling, but watching Tom intently. “You are a wizard”**

**Tom looked up, a wild happiness on his face.** He clocked the discomfort on Dumbledore’s face and winced inwardly. _I’ve revealed far too much._  
  
 **“Are you a wizard too?”** _Of course, he was._

**“Yes, I am.”**

**“Prove it.” Tom said flatly.**

**Dumbledore raised his eyebrows.**

**“If, as I take it, you are accepting you place at Hogwarts-”**

**“Of course, I am!”**

**“Then you will address me as ‘Professor’ or ‘Sir’.”** Tom almost smiled out of respect for that conniving move. Tom moved to talk with his most polite voice.

**“I’m sorry, sir. I meant- please, Professor, could you show me-?”**

**Dumbledore drew his wand from an inside pocket of his suit jacket, pointed it at the shabby wardrobe in the corner and gave the wand a casual flick.  
The wardrobe burst into flames.**

Tom was a cold ball of fury _._ There were, after all, only so many belongings an orphan had to his name, and each belonging was more precious than the last. _How dare he--?_

**Tom jumped to his feet howling in shock and rage. All his worldly possessions must have been in there; but even as Tom rounded on Dumbledore, the flames vanished, leaving the wardrobe completely undamaged.**

**Tom stared from the wardrobe to Dumbledore _._**

He inhaled slowly. ~~~~

**Then, his expression greedy, he pointed to the wand.**

**“Where can I get one of them?”**

**“All in good time,” said Dumbledore. “I think there is something trying to get out of your cupboard.”**

**And sure enough, a faint rattling could be heard from inside it. For the first time, Tom looked frightened.**

_Mrs. Cole… She told him everything._

_This man. He does not care for my explanations. He was moving to blackmail me-_

_I am. He_ _is out of my league._  
Tom felt dizzy. Like a helpless hatchling in the face of a hawk.

  
He could feel the adrenaline pumping in his veins. His flight or fight instincts were tingling. And right then he felt _very_ cornered.

 **“Open the door, Tom,”** **said Dumbledore.**

**Tom hesitate** **d, then crossed the room, and threw open the wardrobe door. On the topmost shelf, above a rail of threadbare clothes, a small cardboard box was shaking and rattling as though there were several frantic mice trapped inside it.**

 **“Take it out,” Dumbledore command** **ed.**

 **Tom** **took down the quaking box. He looked unnerved.**

 **“Is there anything in that box that you ought not to have?” ask** **ed Dumbledore.**

 **Tom Riddle** **gave Dumbledore a long, clear, calculating look.**

 **“Yes, I suppose so, sir,” he** **said finally, in an expressionless voice.**

 **“Open it,”** **said Dumbledore.**

 **Riddle** **took off the lid and tipped the content onto his bed without looking at them.**

**A yo-yo, a silver thimble and a tarnished mouth organ among them. Once free of the box, they stopped quivering and lay quite still on the thin blankets.**

 **“You will return them to their owners with your apologies,”** **said Dumbledore calmly, putting his wand back into his jacket. “I shall know whether it has been done. And be warned: thieving is not tolerated at Hogwarts.”**

 **Tom** **did not look remotely abashed.** ~~~~

**He was still staring coldly and appraisingly at Dumbledore. At last he said in a colorless voice, “Yes, sir.”**

**“At Hogwarts, we teach you not only to use magic, but to control it. You have- inadvertently, I am sure- been using your powers in a way that is neither taught nor tolerated at our school. You are not the first, nor will you be the last, to allow your magic to run away with you. But you should know that Hogwarts can expel students, and the Ministry of Magic- yes, there is a Ministry- will punish** **lawbreakers still more severely. All new wizards must accept that, in entering our world, they abide by our laws.”**

 **“Yes, sir,”** **said Riddle again.**

This man was powerful. And this man, quite frankly, disliked him. There was not much he could do in this situation but agree and follow what he was saying. It was not surprising for a powerful man to use such underhanded tactics.

**Tom put the little cache of stolen objects back into the cardboard box. When he finished, he turned to Dumbledore and said baldly, “I haven’t got any money.”**

**“That is easily remedied” said Dumbledore, drawing a leather money-pouch from his pocket. “There is a fund at Hogwarts for those who require assistance to buy books and robes. You might have to buy some of your spell books and so second-hand, but-”**

**“Where do you buy spell books? Tom interrupted,** quite done with the proceedings. **He had taken the heavy moneybag without thanking Dumbledore and was now examining a fat gold Galleon.  
“In Diagon Alley,” said Dumbledore. “I have your list of books and school equipment with me. I can help you find everything-”**

**“You’re coming with me?” asked Tom, looking up.**

**“Certainly, if you-”**

**“I don’t need you.” said Tom. “I’m used to doing things for myself** _._ **I go around London on my own all the time. How do you get to this Diagon Alley- sir? He added, catching Dumbledore’s eye.**

**Dumbledore handed Tom the envelope containing his list of equipment, and, after telling him exactly how to get to the Leaky Cauldron from the orphanage, he said, “You will be able to see it, although muggles around you- non-magical people, that is- will not. Ask for Tom the barman- easy enough to remember, as he shares your name-”**

**Tom gave an irritable twitch, as though trying to displace an irksome fly.**

**“You dislike the name ‘Tom’.”**

He was hardly going to tell this strange man that the only person ever allowed to call him Tom (and not the disgusting variations of Tommy) had been Mr. Snake. He settled on saying, **“There are a lot of Toms”** instead.

Which was true enough. He made a desperate attempt to change the topic.

**“Was my father a wizard? He was called Tom Riddle too, they’ve told me.”**

**“I’m afraid I don’t know,” said Dumbledore, his voice gentle.**

**“My mother can’t have been magic, or she wouldn’t have died. It must’ve been him. So- when I’ve got all my stuff- when do I come to this Hogwarts?”**

**“All the details are on the second piece of parchment in your envelope. You will leave from King’s Cross station on the first of September. There is a train ticket in there, too.”**

**Tom nodded. Dumbledore got to his feet and held out his hand again.**

Tom wanted to change this around. This man was obviously in a position of authority. Tom was overcome with the urge to want to impress him, and it showed.

 **Taking it, Tom said, “I can speak to snakes.** I found out when we’ve been to the country on trips **\- they find me, they whisper to me. Is that normal for wizard?”**

**“It is unusual,” said Dumbledore, after a moment of hesitation. “But not unheard of.”**

**His tone was casual, but his eyes moved curiously over Tom’s face. They stood for a moment, man and boy, staring at each other. Then the handshake was broken, and Dumbledore was at the door.**

**“Goodbye, Tom. I shall see you at Hogwarts.”**

Tom watched silently as the red-haired man departed. He knew because he was looking for it. He had almost instantly regretted his last-ditch attempt at wanting to impress this man, especially since he had never had the urge to _impress_ anybody ever before. In Dumbledore’s hesitation when told about his snake speech, there was no tell. His face had been impassive. No tell, except that the man’s hand was in his. And his finger had given a slight twitch. The very fact that the man didn’t beam at him told him…

If it was at all possible, Dumbledore hated him all the more for his ability. Tom groaned. ~~~~

_One foot forward, two feet back_

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1.Quotes are from The art of War.
> 
> 2\. You might have noticed the last section looks familiar. That's because everything written in bold has been directly extrapolated from 'The half Blood Prince'. Sections in between are my takes of what Tom is thinking during that time, as opposed to the Dumbledore POV in the book.
> 
> 3\. Author will also be posting on fanfiction.net  
> Please do not copy down to any other site. Cheers!


	2. Molting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: still don't own any of this.  
> Beta: Linux-Ginny

**Chapter 2: Molting**

**12thFebruary 1939**

The skies were a beautiful shade of blue, and the grass was a fresh green. Orochimaru was sprawled casually against one of the many trees at training ground 3, with a scroll in hand detailing a very fascinating Suiton Jutsu that made the attack sharp enough to spear the enemy. It was easily a B-rank, if not an A-rank Jutsu. He had arrived 2 days ago from a solo ANBU mission. Danzo-Sama had him conscripted in Ne, and though he was weary of the man, Sarutobi- sensei had allowed it. He knew it was not going to be long before he was sent out again.

Konohagakure no sato had to be ready for war since the unofficial declaration had already been made. It was only small skirmishes here and there, and mostly work had just entailed border patrol but that’s how all wars started. Orochimaru had manned an outpost with his mouth curved in a frown while they waited out the hell that was going on in Ame; a dispute between Iwa and Suna.

Orochimaru sighed. All of that might change soon though. Sensei had yet to come back from Uzushiogakure with his contingent. For all he knew, the battle was still on-going, but it was quite unlikely with sensei there. _The Hokage really shouldn’t be out of the village for this long._

But Sarutobi sensei was hardly going to ignore the call for arms from their allies, let alone a call for arms from their sister village.

He was dragged out of his musings quite rudely when a smoke bomb came flying at his head. His eyes widened and he ducked expertly, coughing when purple glitter exploded all around him.

“Jiraiya, you absolute fucking excuse for a ninja!” He seethed; his long, shiny hair now riddled with glitter. The smoke cleared to reveal the twinkling eyes of his grinning teammate standing with his legs apart and hands on his waist.

“Oro-teme” he boomed; his teeth were sparkling. “You never even swung by to say you’re back, what the fuck?”

Orochimaru grimaced.

“Jiraiya, you can’t really expect me to announce my arrival every damn time-”

“Of course, you have to”, Came the steady voice of his third team-mate.

_Oh great, now he’s done for._

Tsunade was leaning against a tree, frowning. “You know, you have to come to me for a checkup. I’ve told you so many times because you despise going to the hospital...”.

“Yes, Tsunade-hime,” Orochimaru ducked his head when she made her way to him and ran a diagnostic jutsu.

“Stop calling me a princess,” she chastised him, causing him to quirk his lips. “How long since you’ve been back?” her lips were pursed.

He eyed her wearily. “Two days-”

“TWO DAYS?!” Her hand was flying in an arc to give him a resounding slap on his head. “You have a bruised chest and a hairline fracture!”

“And now a concussion,” Orochimaru muttered.

“ _What was that_?”

“Nothing, nothing,” he said quickly, glaring at Jiraiya who was snickering in the background.

“You better run, dobe,” he smiled ominously. “And you better pray to Kami this glitter washes out in one go.”

Jiraiya gulped.

Before he could respond though, the sound of a huge gong sounded thrice, ripping through the village. Their heads snapped up in unison.

Tsunade wrapped up quickly and they made their way to the Hokage Mountain in unspoken agreement, their faces grim.

They arrived on the tail-end of a short missive by Sensei whose message was quite clear. Orochimaru grabbed Tsunade by her waist when her legs buckled.

Uzushiogakure had fallen. They were officially at war.

Behind Sensei, the council advisors stood, their expressions grave. Danzo-sama’s face was unreadable. Feeling eyes on him, the cripple caught his gaze and gave him a nod, and Orochimaru struggled to appear stoic just as a cold sensation ran down his spine.

* * *

**1st September 1938**

Tom made his way to the crimson steam engine. **_9 and 3 Quarters_ ** _. Ridiculous! Wizards have an odd sense of humor._

Tom bought all that he needed on time, despite the lack of guidance. _Though everything was second hand_ , he thought with a grimace.

His most prized possession though, was his wand. A 13 and a half inches long white beauty, crafted from yew, and affixed with a phoenix feather core. More importantly it was brand new, and absolutely his!

He quickly made his way to an empty compartment and sat down, staring outside in disgust at the tearful goodbyes all around the platform. Pulling a book out of his handbag, he was just about to begin reading when the door slid open to reveal a confident girl with long braided, red hair.

“Hullo! Who are you?” She asked in a heavily accented Scottish brogue. 

_Should’ve latched the damn door_ , he thought in irritation. _Might as well make a good impression. New beginnings and all that rot._

“Tom Riddle,” he said, holding out his hand. “And you are?”

“Minerva McGonagall,” she said, proudly shaking his hand vigorously. “I don’t think I have heard of the Riddles before.”

Tom stiffened minutely.

“What do you mean--”

“I do not care if you are muggleborn. You _are_ muggleborn, aren’t you?”

“No idea,” Tom shrugged. “I was born in the orphanage.”

“Oh, you’re one of _those,_ ” she said, eyeing him knowingly.

“One of what, exactly?” Tom was instantly on the defensive.

“Oh, you know,” she waved her hand vaguely as she sat down.

Tom continued to stare at her, a little suspicious. “No, Miss McGonagall, I’m not a bastard.” he said finally. Minerva turned a very _fascinating_ shade of red.

“I- I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have assumed. My mouth gets ahead of me sometimes.”

Tom looked at her, a little impressed. Despite her brash mannerisms, she was surprisingly eloquent for a child. _I should keep a lookout for her in the future._

“That’s alright,” He decided to give her a way out. “Does it matter that I am muggleborn?”

From what he had heard at Diagon Alley, it did seem to matter. Some families considered them interlopers in this society. Especially with the war on the horizon.

“No, of course not!” she blurted out, quite self-righteously. “Our family is an old one from Scotland, but we never cared for the blood purity!”She leaned in a little close, as if she was sharing a secret. “It is the Slytherins you must look out for,” she said, wide-eyed. 

“Well,” Tom wasn’t convinced. “From what I’ve read, I’m probably best suited for the Slytherin House,” he waved his copy of Hogwarts a History lightly. It was literally the only book he bought out of syllabus, and only because it had a heavy discount. 

The girl gasped in horror. “We can’t be friends then!”

Not that Tom was even considering the prospect. But he decided to bite.

“Why ever not?” 

“Well, _I’m_ definitely going into Gryffindor.”

“Is that right?” Tom was amused by the utter stupidity of that statement. “I guess that’s that then.”

Tom proceeded to turn away, open his book, and start reading, quite pointedly ignoring the sputtering red-haired girl.

Minerva stood up, looking confused for a second, before she huffed, very agitatedly lifting her trunk in the section above and sitting down opposite to him.

Tom looked up slowly after a minute, as if just realizing she was still there.

Minerva had her arms crossed in front of her chest and was staring at him.

“I’m not in Gryffindor yet!” she said snidely.

And he gave her one of his signature charming smiles. Her cheeks turned pink. “So tell me more about what you know about _muggleborns._ ” 

* * *

**10th September 1939**

Tom did, in fact, end up in Slytherin, and Minerva was proven right about how dysfunctional his current house was. 

The children of the house were entitled little brats, surfing on the coattails of their politically connected fathers. He did not begrudge them though. He too would have taken complete advantage of the situation if he were born into an influential family.

But he could not, in his good conscience, pardon his class-mates for their utter disregard of him. It began in Professor Slughorn’s class. Up until that point, he did not have much interaction with them. He hadn’t even tried to do overly well in the classroom. Keeping a low profile had been a perfectly good tactic.

He slept in the same dorm as Malfoy, Avery, Nott, Lestrange and Rosier, and not once had they deigned to acknowledge his presence. It was as if they had collectively and non-verbally decided to treat him worse than the muck stuck to the sole of his shoe. As was customary, he took to sitting at the front of the class. He sat alone, resigned while the professor doted on Malfoy. His Grand Uncle had taken up the dangerous project of rearing Abraxans, and as a consequence, Malfoy sat tall, perfectly at ease with boasting unsubtly about achievements that he really shouldn’t take any credit for. Tom felt a twinge of resentment. This was how he should’ve grown up. Not for the Abraxans, but to learn the diplomatic façade the purebloods exhibited, to command a room with his mere presence just because his damn uncle got new fucking hobby.

Slughorn made it to the front of the class finally. He began the introduction to a shrinking potion, and quickly told them to begin. 

“Oh, Mr. Riddle, was it?” Asked Slughorn, spotting him a good forty minutes into the lesson. His potion was nearly done.

“Yes, professor” Tom smiled genially. He slowly stirred clockwise twice to finish. Slughorn peered into his potion.

“Oh-ho!” Slughorn boomed, ecstatic. “ This is a perfect ochre for the shrinking potion! On your first try too! Tell me, did you learn from a guardian?” 

“Oh no, professor,” Tom demurred. Then jealousy reared its ugly head. “This is my first time.”

“A potion genius!” Slughorn was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet now.

“Tell me Tom, what would happen if you stirred 10 times clockwise and 2 times anticlockwise?”

“The shrinking potion would be rendered poisonous, Professor. The biggest precaution of the shrinking potion is to stir accurately. It is 7 times anticlockwise and 6 times clockwise exactly.”

“Correct! And what is the antidote to this potion?”

“… The Un-shrinking Potion?” Tom wanted to sink into a hole and die.

 _What was up with the Wizarding World and absolutely unoriginal names_ , he moaned, as the lesson wrapped up.

Tom quickly packed and left the classroom, intent on dropping his bag off in his dormitory.

“An eye for an eye,” he said, calling out the password for the common room, almost rolling his eyes at the dramatics of all of it.

He stopped suddenly, faced with at least half of the common room. His dorm-mates were standing in a line in the front. Avery stepped forwards.

“Tom Riddle,” he sneered. “The insult of having a _mudblood_ in our midst was enough for us to look the other way even though the older students beguiled us to put you in your place.”

Tom raised an eyebrow. _They told them to do what?!_

“As it stands, we can no longer allow you to your delusions.”

Tom’s other eyebrow joined his first.

And then it suddenly clicked.

“You do not want me to surpass you?” Tom was incredulous. He was also bubbling hysterically with laughter. _What could a bunch of eleven year olds possibly do?_

 _Unless, the older students joined in_ , he thought darkly.

Avery did not respond. His dorm-mate though, had come prepared. 

“Stupefy!” Avery yelled with his wand pointing at him.

Only ten maddening years at the orphanage gave him the experience to throw himself out of the way as fast as he did.

Tom’s eyebrow twitched. This was an ambush. Despite the fact that Avery couldn’t execute it properly, Stupefy was a third year spell.. They wanted a public show, of putting the new... mudblood - _and what an unoriginal word-_ in his place.

_Humph. A public showing they want?_

_A public showing they will get._

Tom smiled a small smile and something in it made Avery step back in line.

“Perhaps, it is your delusions that must be corrected,” he said softly.

Tom didn’t know any offensive spells yet, he’d mostly read them in books. So he held out his hand and... Flicked.

A gust of wind generated at his feet and Avery was flung violently to the far side of the room, and he smashed hard into the wall. A drop of sweat rolled down his spine and Tom made sure he looked perfectly at ease as he looked nonchalantly at the rest of the room. “Anybody else?” His bravado was false. The wandless magic had taken a toll on him, but they didn’t need to know.

Wandless magic at his age was practically unheard of, even if he did not have too many spells to go with it. His House mates looked at him wide eyed as he made it up the stairs to his dorm. Malfoy watched him go calculatingly, already recalibrating the new hierarchy and preparing for the shitstorm that was a mudblood usurping them in the next seven years.

* * *

**3rd September 1939**

Hogwarts was disconcertingly somber. A hushed silence pervaded the hallways. Two days into the school year and his dorm-mates were already following him around, trying to gain his favor. “But Tom...” came Avery’s whining voice. The boy had changed his tune very quickly. “You don’t _have_ to spend time with that muggle-loving fool. She does nothing for you!”

Tom sighed, _Merlin, give him patience._ “I do not know why it bothers you so; we simply spend time in the library next to each other. How do you suppose she will infect me? With the almighty power of osmosis?”

They looked at him blankly. Tom cursed under his breath and walked on _._

“Nevertheless, it does seem prudent to keep a distance with those fools what with the current climate,” Abraxas Malfoy said seriously. And he wasn’t wrong. 

“Where was Lord Grindelwald rumored to be last?” asked Rosier. “Poland,” said Nott, who was always surprisingly informed about the where-abouts of the Dark Lord.

“His second in command, Schmidt was last seen in Germany.” 

“Have there been any more raids?” There were rumors about the mass killing of the muggle race. It was assumed Lord Grindelwald had a hand in it. Tom would eat his stupid, conical hat if Grindelwald didn’t have at least an alliance with Hitler.

The wizards did not think of Hitler as a threat. Tom knew better. And till the time he lived in the muggle world where he was not allowed to utilize his magic, he would continue to treat the powers that be as appropriate threats.

Regardless, Grindelwald in Poland made his thoughts come to a halt. “Say, is the Treaty of Versailles the same for Wizards as it is for muggles?” asked Tom. Though he hated looking anything less than all knowing, he had to ask.

Malfoy looked at him curiously. “Yes, of course. Leaders of the Muggle World cannot declare war without the acquiescence of the Wizarding Ministry and vice versa.”

Tom paled, with the repercussions of that tit-bit of news running in his mind as he served himself some toast. “And what of France?” He asked.

“What of it?”

“Are they also showing a blind-eye to Hitler’s growing army?

“What are you talking ab-?” Malfoy began to say.

Then there was a cacophony of wings and hundreds of owls swarmed into the hall.

 _An evening post._ Tom had clearly had a premonition.

When he read over Malfoy’s shoulder, the newspaper did not ease his worries at all.

BRITAIN AT WAR WITH GERMANY. POLAND INVADED. GRINDELWALD AT LARGE.

The Great Hall had become completely quiet. Then a dam broke and a buzz of angry shouts followed.

“SILENCE.” thundered Headmaster Dippet. “Hogwarts has stood tall through wars for centuries and will not fall now. No need to fear, dear students. As long as you stay within these walls, the wards shall keep you safe.”

There was a murmur of suspicious relief. 

Tom did not care for the headmaster’s false promises. His mind whirred furiously working what he knew and what he did not. Currently, he was not pleased with the odds.

* * *

**3rd March 1940**

_‘Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.’_

_-Alexander Pope_

It was around March when it suddenly hit him. Tom was going to be sent back to the muggle world in the midst of all the air raids. A trickle of fear zipped through his spine. _This would not do._ He abruptly stood, pushing back his chair in the library. “What is it?” Minerva asked him, concerned.

“Nothing. You wait here.” Tom said. But something must have shown on his face because Minerva immediately followed him out of the library, keeping up with his relentless pace. She kept blessedly silent as they passed through an empty hallway.

“Incarcerous!” A red light came zipping at Minerva.

“Protego!” Tom reacted and stood in front of Minerva to face their would-be assailant.

“What is this? Of course the Riddle boy would actually try and protect the muggle-lover,” jeered one the boys. They looked like upperclassmen.

“You are Slytherin?” noted Tom, almost absently. “..And Hufflepuff?”

He looked at both the boys and realized they were twins. _Black_ , he remembered. 

They scowled simultaneously.

“Oh did mummy and daddy not like you going into hufflepuff?” Smirked Minerva, catching on quickly.

Tom wanted to smack his palm into his face. _He really needed to teach her some self preservation skills._

_Great. The idiot looks angry now._

“Why are you trying to attack us anyway?” said Tom, trying to diffuse the situation.

“Not everyone likes you hanging out with muggle-loving Gryffindor, Riddle,” came the reply.

_Was he serious?_

“… You do know I’m considered a muggleborn and your brother is a Hufflepuff?” 

Minerva sniggered.

_I clearly have no self preservation either._ Tom moaned. _My dorm-mates were right, she_ _is_ _contagious. But I will be damned if I stick around these idiots._

_Stupidity is contagious too!_

Tom nodded decisively. 

The Slytherin looked at him angrily and pulled out his wand. “Bloody mudblood shouldn’t be in our house any way. “

“Serpensortia!”

_Oh come on, now you’re just making it fucking easy._

The snake came hissing at them. ‘Who dares summon me?’

 _-gray with a dark zigzag band on the back and spots on the sides_ \- _an adder._

‘You are majestic, My Lady. What is your name?’

‘A speaker!’ Tom rolled his eyes. _Here we go again._

 **‘** Yes, I am, my Lady. I am going to send you back now’ he hissed.

‘Vipera Evanesca’ he intoned, before anyone else could argue.

He turned to look at Black and found him wide eyed and mouth agape.

“What is it? Tom frowned.

“You... you...” The boy stuttered.

Tom found himself being dragged off by mutinous looking Minerva to an empty classroom.

He looked at her angrily, beginning to reprimand her-

“Why didn’t you tell me you are a parseltongue?” She looked shell-shocked.

“I’m a what?” asked Tom.

“You can talk to snakes!”

“Yeah, I always could.” He said smugly.

“Damn it all to bloody hell. I keep forgetting you don’t know certain things, because you didn’t grow up here. There is only one family in England that can speak to snakes, Tom!” She looked at him beseechingly.

“It’s Salazar Slytherin and his family!”

“What!” Tom’s jaw dropped. “Yes! Merlin! You could find the Chamber of secrets if you’re really the Heir!” She said excitedly.

“The what?” Tom’s mind was running miles a minute. Minerva repeated herself, practically squirming with excitement. “Do you think Black will tell on you? This is huge! Slytherin!”

“No,” he said resolutely. “Black might tell the rest of Slytherin but the knowledge won’t spread further than that. House politics.” He explained.

“If you say so,'' said Minerva with uncertainty.

“Yes,” said Tom. “But that means you need to keep quiet about it too.”

McGonagall looked like a cat bristling with her tail on end.

“Tom, I’m not going to tell anyone. I am appalled that you had to say it,” she said seriously.

Tom only shrugged 

“Please go back to the library. I have something to do; I’ll be back soon,” he told her.

Minerva looked at him sympathetically and agreed without protest this time. 

“Alright.” She shook her head, muttering something about stupid boys with miraculous abilities. “See you later, Tom”

Tom waited two whole minutes before he headed out to the Headmaster’s Office.

He stopped by the gargoyles wondering what to do next when it parted ways to reveal Professor Dumbledore and a crying girl.

“Ah, Myrtle” Dumbledore was saying. “You need to assert yourself- Tom, my boy! What are you doing here?” He peered at Tom over his half moon spectacles.

“I needed to speak with the Headmaster, Professor.”

“Is that right? Well then. I shall come with you”

“There’s really no need-”

“Nonsense.” The Professor said. “Miss Warren was just going back to her common room and I had some business with the Headmaster anyway. You'll be good to go on your own, won’t you be, Myrtle?” He said kindly.

Myrtle only nodded tearfully and Tom looked at her curiously as she walked away.

“Come, Tom,” Dumbledore led the way up.

Tom felt an odd trepidation going up the stairs with Dumbledore. It was the first time he was alone with the man since that fateful night.

But Dumbledore did not say anything, and all too soon they were seated in front of the headmaster.

“So,.” said Headmaster Dippet, after the pleasantries were exchanged. “What seems to be the matter, Mr. Riddle?”

“Sir, as you know, I live in London.” He began. “More specifically, I live on the muggle side, in an orphanage...” Tom trailed off, trying to correctly phrase his next line in an appropriately polite request. “Is it... That is to say.. Could I stay here over the summer, Headmaster-”

“Mr. Riddle,” The man sighed heavily. “I was afraid you would ask this of me. I am afraid I cannot allow it. I have asked the Board of Governors already, as one other child also came to me with the same request a few years ago. There are some rules to the charter that they just cannot change”

“But sir-“

“Tom, I know what you will be facing,” said Dumbledore gently. “Remember, if the worst happens you can always use your magic. You won’t be charged, if it is in self defense. But only if it is in self defense” He said seriously.

Tom looked at him incredulously.

“Sir, the situation is more dire than you can possibly imagine-”

“That’s enough Mr. Riddle.” Headmaster Dippet sternly shut him off. 

Tom just watched him, his mouth agape in an uncharacteristically uncouth fashion. He left soon after that, realizing quickly that he won’t actually be given a chance to change their minds.

“Was that decision wise, Headmaster?” came Dumbledore’s voice from inside.

“I don’t know, Albus,” Said Headmaster Dippet heavily. “ But my hands are tied.”

* * *

**3rd November 1940**

_‘When the lights go on again all over the world_ _  
__And the boys are home again all over the world_ _  
__And rain or snow is all that may fall from the skies above_ _  
__A kiss won't mean "Goodbye" but "Hello to love’_

_-‘When the Lights go on again’ by Bennie Benjamin, Sol Marcus & Eddie Seiler _

Fifty seven. That was the number of days London was bombed continuously by the Luftwaffe. When Tom went home for his so called vacation, the atmosphere had been of death and desolate sadness. Rations were at an all time low and Tom barely got to eat one whole meal in the day. And then the sirens would sound. Tom shuddered at the thought. The orphans were made to walk quickly in long queues to bunkers underground with frantic matrons praying to the lord that they would make it on time. And then... _Then_ there would be a long wait through the night with the sound of airplanes zooming overhead and explosions in the distance, and the children huddling close together for warmth and hoping to God that the ceiling wouldn’t fall on the underground and cave them in. 

Lightning War, they called it. Tom wouldn’t know if that’s what it looked like, it’s not like he actually wanted to see the explosions. _And the wizards were willing to overlook the muggles._

Despite it all, the muggles never dampened their spirits. Come what may, their resolution to make it through the night, to survive, it was admirable. It had become a sense of British Pride; no matter what happened, they would not allow the Nazi to cow them.  
Slow melodious singing would echo in the night. Slowly picked up by everybody. Eventually, even Tom knew the lyrics to the songs that would boost their morale.

It was during this time that a Japanese man approached him in the underground. Approach was a strong word. More like the man snuggled next to him for warmth and lack of blankets. 

“Hello,” Tom said. The man looked at him curiously. “You seem far from home?”

The man laughed and said something in a foreign language. And so Tom slowly began to learn Japanese. It was dull. It was time consuming. But it was now the fourth time this foreign land had come to his attention and now he was really curious.

Suddenly, there was a whistling sound. The following explosion of sound was horrific and the entire tunnel quaked. A child near him whimpered and his bladder let loose. When they were let out in the morning, they were welcomed with the sight of demolished buildings and strewn bodies with red, charred insides- bile rose to his throat.

When the third year at Hogwarts finally began, Tom began to realize just how lucky he was to have a safe haven. A little bit of respite. His own mortality was constantly knocking at the door in the back of his mind. Never had he felt so insignificant. So helpless. While the Luftwaffe had been intermittently targeting them before, after Tom's arrival at Hogwarts, hell began to rain down on the streets of London. For Fifty six of fifty seven days, Hitler had ordered for London to be leveled. Tens of thousands dead. Double that amount mutilated or amputated.

A gnawing feeling of restlessness caused Tom to get up and head to his dormitory. “My friends,” Tom said to the room, and all five of them looked at him curiously.

“What do you think about bringing about change?”

A slow grin spread across Avery’s face. 

“What did you have in mind?”

* * *

**2nd December 1941**

Another stressful summer passed in wartime tension and it looked like Grindelwald had turned his attention to the east. 

_The man had lost the plot. Didn’t he want to slow down and recuperate before attacking again?_

It had given Tom a drive to do more than just survive; he wanted to thrive in this climate. So he pushed himself hard. 

He was rubbing his hair dry with his towel as he walked out of the shower when he heard his Knights speaking.

“Yes. He was last seen in America. The Newts were involved too.” Nott was saying.

“Who was seen in America?” asked Tom, though he had a good idea. Tom had created a study group. They called it the The Knights of Walpurgis. It consisted of politically connected students in his year and above that looked to him for leadership.

“Grindelwald,” Nott said, his eyes flickering towards Avery and Malfoy, who had turned a very interesting shade of red as Tom began wiping himself down.

“He was almost caught too! It is rumored he was trying to weaponize an unknown obscurus.”

“Is that so?” said Tom intrigued with the possibility. He would have to research that later. 

“I did have something to ask you, Rosier,” he said, turning to Evan. “Would your uncle be willing to test me early for my OWLS?”

His Knights gaped at him.

“Your OWLS?!” Squeaked Avery. 

“Are you certain, Tom?” Abraxas said cautiously. “Taking the OWLs early and not getting through would only earn you a black mark against your name.”

Tom looked at them blankly, yet somehow still exuding an air of derision.

“Yes Malfoy, I am certain.”

It took two weeks and several favours but Tom was at the Ministry, having floo’ed in directly from Headmaster Dippet’s office with a quick ‘Good luck!’ and a clap on the back.

Tom walked curiously through the entrance of the Ministry. The floor gleamed with green marble; there was a large poster of Minister Leonard Spencer-Moon in an expensive three piece suit and monocle hung at the far end. 1939 - 1948 said a line under it, denoting his years in office. 

He is a reliable leader, Tom remembered Abraxas Malfoy telling him. He rose through the ranks from being tea-boy in the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes. A strong minister who enjoyed a good working relationship with Winston Churchill. A water fountain stood in the center of the atrium depicting Wizarding bigotry with the words ‘Magic is Might” written right under it. The whole entrance screamed of power and money.

He made his way through a checkpoint where his wand was unceremoniously logged, and then he was led to an elevator by a kind looking man with a large moustache and a blue robe.

“Good Morning, Mr. Riddle” he greeted Tom amicably. “I’m one of your invigilators, Professor Marche. I heard you would be taking a total of Fourteen OWLS over the following week. Very impressive, if I may say so.”

“Thank you, sir” Tom demurred.

He noted the foreign dignitaries running in and out of the elevator as they passed through. 

“Seems very busy today, sir,” said Tom. 

“Ah... yes. The International Floo staff is working double time currently. Hard times ahead.” Mr. Marche said vaguely.

Tom tried to get the topic off murky waters. “Is the International Floo different from regular floo?”

“Of course!” Mr. Marche seemed enthused to impart some knowledge. “International floos invariably require hops through other countries and identity checks”

“Oh? So in case we would like to travel to a country in the pacific?”

“You’d have to stop once or twice at least” Mr. Marche nodded.“Ah, here you go,” Mr. Marche finally led him to the room with some parchment and quill.

“The quill is enchanted with an anti-cheating spell and your theoretical exams will begin shortly. Make sure there is no parchment or spell on you, before we begin...”

Tom smiled genially and settled down.

Three weeks later he sat in the library with Minerva. A silencing spell enveloped them.

“FOURTEEN OWLS!” _God Minerva was loud._ “FOURTEEN OWLS. AND YOU DIDN’T EVEN THINK TO MENTION THIS TO ME BEFORE NOW? WE HAVE BEEN STUDYING TOGETHER FOR THE PAST, OH I DON’T KNOW, _FOUR_ YEARS AND YOU DIDN’T EVEN-“

“Minerva,” Tom cut her off. “I read extra material all the time.”

It was true. Even now he was reading a carefully concealed book called Secrets of the Darkest Arts. 

_‘The first known horcrux_ _was created by Herpo the Foul_ _in Ancient Greece_ _... .’_

He quickly displaced the book so his attention was on Minerva.

“Tom.” She huffed. “I’m just happy for you .. If you have told me before I would’ve been there.. For support!.”

Tom looked at her blankly. She looked frustrated now. “I just.. How far ahead are you anyway, maybe I could’ve helped with revision or something..?”

“I can probably take my NEWTS today and get an average score” Tom said considering, tapping his lip in thought. He really needed to up his game. Minerva let out a low keening sound. “Yes, I know,” Tom sighed. “Despicable progress."

He looked at her thoughtfully. _Is she upset she couldn’t take the OWLS as well?_  
“Don’t worry Minerva,” He gave her what he hoped was a bright smile. “I’m not going anywhere; I’ll still study with you!” Minerva sat down with a thump, red, with her head in her hands muttering something about stupid boys. Tom let her stew on her own. There was nothing he could do here.

* * *

**4th December 1942**

“It seems like there is no plausible end to this war.”

“At least Grindelwald is suffering setback.”

“I heard Singapore fell to Japan and Japan really dared attack the United States!”

  
Tom stared desolately at his shepherd’s pie. They had just come out of a double potions class, finishing the Polyjuice Potion for his sixth year. Slughorn had been so impressed with his work, he had asked Tom to take a cauldron full of his altered Polyjuice to the stores. He had felt accomplished with his potion modifications but it had all come crashing down when he began listening to the conversations in the Great Hall. The sense of helplessness that haunted him was creeping in on him again.

 _At least I am closer to finding the Chamber of Secrets!_ Tom perked up. His disclosure as the heir of Slytherin had gone over marvelously. His housemates were in complete awe of his station. They had taken to aiding him in the most innocuous things, hoping to curry favor and goodwill for the power he would undoubtedly hold beyond these prestigious halls. 

Most prized of these gifts was the location of the Chamber of Secrets on a map that had been a gift from the Blacks, who had changed loyalties faster than a snake shedding its skin. Although, their knowledge of the information itself did not surprise him, given how vast the Black Library was.

His appetite did not seem to make an appearance, so he abandoned his food, stuck his hands in his pockets, and stalked out of the Great Hall. He ignored the exclamations made by his Knights and made his way to the second floor.

“Tom,” He rounded a corner, only to smack hard on Professor Dumbledore.

“Oh! I apologise, Professor!, Didn’t see where I was going there,” He said sheepishly.

“Yes, yes that’s quite alright, my boy.” Dumbledore’s eyes twinkled. “Done with dinner already?”

“Yes Professor!”

Tom sneered inwardly at his patronizing tone as he walked away. He turned the corner, following the map and walked into – _a girl’s toilet?!_

 _Wizards_. Tom moaned. A disillusionment spell and a few navigation spells later, he stood in front of the sink. ‘Open’ He hissed. The sink opened to reveal a pipe leading into the bowels of the earth.

 _Nope. Nuh-uh. No way in thrice damned-_ ‘Stairsss’ he hissed. _OH THANK MERLIN._

Tom leisurely walked down into a dank antechamber and hissed for the chamber to shut behind him. Another circular door with pretty snakes greeted him at the end of the hallway. ‘Open’ he hissed again. _WOAH_.

Tom was treated to the vision that was Lord Salazar Slytherin’s legacy. Marble reflected from every surface and a large sculpture of a head stood at the end of the room.

 _Lord Slytherin.._ Tom realised. _Quite narcissistic._ He nodded.

‘Speak to me Slytherin, greatest of the four’ he hissed. 

The Sculpture’s Jaw opened wide, and the sound of slithering warned him something heavy coming his way. Almost too soon, an alarmingly large snake towered over him.

‘Who dares wake me from my slumber..” 

_The snake is quite obviously a Basilisk,_ Tom thought alarmed. Which begs the question-?

‘Why am I not dead?’ Tom gasped.

The serpent hissed disjointedly, as if amused. ‘A secondary sclera in my eye protects your mortality, hatchling. Now answer my question.’

‘I am Tom Riddle, my lady. What is your name?’

The serpent nodded impatiently. ‘I am Zamarada, Lord Slytherin’s familiar. You are his family, I identify your scent. Tell me.. Where is my Lord? Why hasn’t he come to see me?’

Tom frowned at the old biddy. ‘Lord Slytherin died centuries ago-’

She let out a low rumbling sound he didn’t understand but could tell she was in agony. He lifted his hand and touched her flank, troubled. ‘Have you been able to hunt here, Lady Zamarada?’

‘No hatchling. I am here to protect the castle; I eat small rodents that pass by.’

Tom pursed his lips. He could not, in good conscience, keep a snake in captivity. Nodding decisively, he did a slow sweep of the room, finding nothing of significance. The Chamber of Secrets boasted of just the Basilisk.  
 _Just the Basilisk._ Tom scoffed.  
‘Did Lord Slytherin leave a legacy here?’ he asked.

‘There are some scrolls, hatchling. In through the statue’s maw, you will find a crate.’

Tom hummed in acknowledgement, quickly collected the crate and asked her to follow him out of the chamber.

Later, he would blame his excitement over his discovery of the chamber for the sheer absurdity _-of his callousness-_ that would follow. He climbed the stairs leading to the bathroom when the unthinkable happened. 

Myrtle Elizabeth Warren looked at him in shock, tears running down her face.

“What are you doing here? This is a girl’s toi-“

Tom’s heart was beating frantically.

“Myrtle!” Tom barked, sensing the basilisk behind him.

It was too late. Tom watched in horror as her body hit the floor. The Basilisk panicking behind him jarred him out of his stupor to needlessly check Myrtle’s vitals. 

‘Calm down’ he hissed. He breathed deeply. His mind whirred.

_Myrtle was known for haunting this toilet and Albus-fucking-Dumbledore had seen him come this way._

“Fuck” He swore. _He needed to get out of here now._

He quickly sent the Basilisk to The Forbidden Forest and marched purposefully to his dormitories. 

“Nott!” He barked on spotting the boy on his four-poster bed. His Knights turned to him, alert.

“I need your papers of identification. Now!” Nott was staring at him like he was a mad-man.

“Riddle I can’t just give you my-“

“Nott I do not have the time to argue. This is not a request.”

Nott hesitated. He then went and collected his papers from his bedside to hand them over Tom, who was packed and putting his shrunk trunk into his pocket. Taking the papers, he plucked a clump of hair from Nott’s head (ow!) took out a polyjuice and proceeded to down it.

Tom inhaled deeply, and pinned his Knights with a look.

“Knights.” He began. “There’s been a... complication.” Tom grimaced.  
“I found the Chamber of Secrets-” a round of gasps “And the Monster within was set on a student.” They looked at him horrified. And Tom gave it a beat.

“So. Where should we hide the body?” asked Avery. Tom felt a bubble of hysterical laughter in his chest. 

Tom shook his head. “No. Dumbledore saw me in the area that will fall under suspicion. He will pin this on me.” He then smiled. “Don’t fret, my friends. I have been meaning to leave Hogwarts early. These past few years.. I have been feeling a growing sense of.. fernweh.”

_Yep, they think I’ve lost my marbles._

  
“If you can, try clearing my name.” They nodded furiously. “I shall keep in touch.”

And then Tom stole into the night. He made quick work getting through International Floo. A few dozen confundus charms, two countries, and an immigration saw him standing behind an ornate desk.

“Welcome to Japan.” An attendant said in fluent Japanese. Tom smiled.

* * *

**2nd February 1943**

Fukuoka was a large and important city on the island of Kyushu. A downtown area in this city, Hakata, was home to over 30 little food stalls selling ramen, motsunabe and yatai; most of which were shut due to the uneasy atmosphere of soldiers marching in neat rows down the street. The alley Tom Riddle was sneaking through was lined with various specialist shops selling glassware, pottery and clothing. Ignoring the suspicious glances thrown his way, he stopped every few minutes to consult a map and moved with steadfast determination, stopping abruptly at a coloured shop.

He rechecked his map almost incredulously, because three months of searching in a war infested nation led him to the basement of a brightly coloured meat shop. Since he first entered Japan, there had been clues. Clues that lead to something. He didn’t know if there was an end to this wild goose chase; but something told him it would lead to something more than the happy magical streets that were Diagon Alley’s counterparts. Something that was more than the war infested muggle world.

Tom made his way down cautiously and stopped facing an empty room lined by brick walls. He raised his hands, as if in standing supplication, and knew he had hit the jackpot. The magic in the room filled every corner; swirling, tumultuous, wild. He inhaled sharply. Tom was curious, so very curious.

He retrieved his wand, that was now clear of the trace, and slowly caressed the bricks with his magic that created a distant hum that grew louder. There was a heady feeling of saturation and for the first time, Tom felt weary. He tentatively let a tendril of his magic attach itself to what he knew was a weak point and _pulled._

There was a white blinding light, and Tom knew no more.

* * *


	3. In Nooks and Corners

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hi everyone! Just want to quickly let you know the never ending time jumps are over and I'm going write maybe 1-3 scenes per chapter now on. Hope you're being careful and taking care of yourself during these tough times!  
> Beta: Linux-Ginny and Devoid Black.  
> Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and Naruto.

**Chapter 3: In Nooks and Corners**

> _'In every nook and corner  
>  Cold remains:  
> Plum blossoms'  
> -Buson (1716-1784)  
> _

There was a heaviness in his chest and he could not breathe. Then, with a sense of urgency that he could not quell, his eyes shot open and he turned to his side to dispel water from his mouth on to the wooden flooring. He coughed and spluttered, unable to shake the queasy feeling of being drowned. "What.. what…?" he groaned in confusion, as he began to notice a quiet murmur of voices around him, along with the sensation of being rocked.

Tom braced himself and slowly looked around to take stock of his surroundings. It was completely unlike him to be taken so off guard and found unconscious; more so, in what felt like foreign territory. He racked his brain for an explanation, all while trying not to give in to panic.

The sky was a kind of vibrant pink and orange that you would never find in England. He could smell brine in the air; a full mast was visible in his line of sight, and a shore in the distance boasted of a sandy beach and high cliffs. A tan hand halted his observations by waving pompously in front of his face, and he looked up into the brown eyes of a kind looking Asian man.

"Hullo… Are you alright?" The man said in fluent Japanese, his eyes crinkled in concern.

Tom's brain gave an almighty lurch and like the last piece of a puzzle slotting in, comprehension dawned. _A map.. the yellow meat shop.. the white light… 'Secrets of the past you should know better than to touch…'_ A faded voice whispered in his brain. His gray eyes sharpened into focus. He unsteadily got to his feet and the men.. _the crew,_ his mind supplied, around him shifted back to give him some space. His hands flitted to check his left forearm for his wand in its holster and for the shrunk trunk in his damp and traditional Wizarding robes. Satisfied with finding his belongings on his person, he turned his attention to the crew on the ship.  
"Where am I?" He asked authoritatively, his Japanese was accented. The man who had spoken earlier, obviously the spokesperson, answered him readily enough.

"Just offshore from Nami. We bring a shipment of supplies from Kirigakure no Sato… For days, we have been getting a strange feeling, as if we were being watched. We sailed as fast as we could. About an hour ago, we saw something dark in the water; we thought it was driftwood…" He then trailed off awkwardly, uncertain how to bring about questioning a strange man they rescued from the water. "Are you Shinobi, sir?" He asked haltingly.

 _Merlin. That's more questions than answers._ Bewildered, Tom tried to put things into perspective. _I have been transported to a different location, that much is obvious, even if the magic apparating me dumped me right in the middle of an ocean. Where exactly this is, I cannot ascertain yet. And the names… they feel unfamiliar. I'm sure I would have remembered names as conspicuous as Wave or Hidden Village of the Mist. His dialect feels different too. And.._

"What on earth is a Shi-No-Bi?" he asked, frowning.

The men visibly relaxed around him. The leader chuckled nervously.  
"Aa… never you mind that. What with the war and everything, you can never be too careful of mercenaries, we are only civilians after all!"

Realization dawned as Tom realized he had been talking to muggles, and that whoever these Shinobi were, they were most probably magical. Tom had to pause at that, he looked calculatingly at them trying to derive the implications of Mercenary Magicals. He assessed their clothing and outdated technology of the deck he was standing on. His brain was trying to tell him something, to connect some major dots but it refused to enlighten him just yet.

Unable to put a finger on the discrepancy, he was about to question his rescuers a little bit more when a barrel standing off to the side on the small ship, rocked and then knocked over another barrel. They both then tumbled to the ground making quite the ruckus and they flew open to spit out two children on to the deck, a girl and boy; they could not be more than four years old.

Both seemed to be fitted in mesh clothing under loose blue clothes that were wrapped in bandages. The girl had long braided red hair and something twanged in Tom's chest in remembrance, though he could not recollect why. She opened her green eyes and glared at the pale boy with obsidian eyes and black hair that was cropped so short that it became spiky.

There was a dramatic pause.

"You complete idiot!" The little girl glared daggers into the boy. Tom sympathized; he endured fools everyday after all. And that little idiot had managed to blow their cover at... whatever sneaky thing they were sneaking at by knocking their barrels over and revealing them.

The boy rubbed his head in consternation and groaned, exposing his alarmingly jagged teeth. He did not respond to her, however.

"You!" The boy snapped, pointing towards Tom. "How do you not know what a Shinobi is?"

Bemused, and now having more subjects to interrogate, Tom readily took a step forward to begin his investigation, but was rudely cut short by the muggles.

"How did you little runts get on my ship?" The leader cried angrily. The men began to crowd the children. Not seeing how this concerned him, Tom leaned lightly against the rail, waved his hand subtly to dry himself and then turned to observe.

"You can't talk to us like that! We were only trying to escape!" The red-haired girl exclaimed.  
Both the children looked agitated and cornered.  
 _Were they telling the truth?_ Tom mused. _What were they escaping from?_

"What are your names?" said one man, picking up the boy by his scruff.

"Let me go!" The boy began kicking violently, while the little girl shrunk into a corner.

"We'll see what the Mizukage says about two little runaway shinobis, eh?" said another man nastily. "After all, nothing good ever happened to missing-nins."

Tom's jaw clenched at that and he cursed his lack of observation. The magical cores on these children were small, but very much present. Something about all of this is painfully familiar to Tom, being exorcised by priests for being a monster was not something one forgot easily.

"Enough," he said. It was quiet but heard over the din and the crew whirled around to face him.

"See!" The little boy said happily. "How could he possibly not know what a Shinobi is, he's leaking killing intent all over the place!" He giggled.

The gaping crew leader snapped his mouth shut. "You said you weren't a Shinobi!" He accused, pointing a finger at him. "Why did you lie to us? What are your affiliations?"  
All of the men were looking at him quite distrustfully now. And as if this was cause for an alliance, the two children ran through the throng of men, blurred behind Tom and peered from behind his legs to face them.

Tom blinked slowly. _I did not sign up for this._

He wanted to protest quite vehemently at guarding anything, let alone something as cumbersome as two little lives, when something roared from behind him, shaking the entire ship and casting a long shadow on the deck. Ignoring the quaking men whose attention was on something directly above him, Tom turned slowly in resignation to face this new threat.

For a moment, Tom just stared at a very large and almost comically orange fish in front of him.  
"The Mighty Kiri Carp!" The red-haired girl murmured in reverence. Tom looked blank.

"Is this something we would have to... fight?" He wondered dubiously. While over-sized animals weren't scarce in the Magical World, he had yet to actually slay one because, he thought back; _when it came down to it, I got away with coercing my Basilisk instead of battling her._

The dark-haired boy looked at him disbelievingly. "Of Course you have to fight it! The Mighty Kiri Carp has slain hundreds in his hunt. There are actual Jounin who have been felled by this beast!"

 _This kid is hyperventilating,_ Tom thought detachedly, as he filed away more new terminologies in his head. Tom noticed how the boy said 'You' have to fight it instead of 'We'. He exhaled noisily, wanting to get done with this and get a better understanding of his situation as fast as he could. _Fine. If I must do this._

He began scanning the bloated, orange carp and assessed that it was easily two to three stories tall and quite noisy with its attack. _The belly... it is abnormally large_ , he noted in disgust. Then, flicking his left arm to grab on to the handle of his wand, he gave an experimental wave. "Stupefy," he said softly.  
To his utter shock, the giant monstrosity actually dodged his attack! It was faster than expected.

The fish let out a blast of magical aura that hovered like death in the air. The men and children aboard the ship shrank back to a corner as the ship rocked dangerously. "I told you I felt eyes on us," Tom heard a man whisper from behind him.

He chuckled quietly to himself. _Is this supposed to scare me?  
_ He called his magic, making it cover him like a warm blanket.

He then grit his teeth, fell into a natural dueling stance and fired off 5 stupefies in quick succession, placed such that they hit in the shape of an unsymmetrical pentagon, and thus hit the beast no matter which direction it moved.

He was more than a little disappointed that only one hit its target, given the superior agility of the creature. He tracked its movement resignedly as the red light bounced off the thick scales of fish.

His audience broke out in shouts of dread.

"What?" The little girl cried in dismay. "Is that all you can do?"

"What is that stick?" Asked the little boy, his beady eyes fixated on his wand. Tom snorted, wondering if he should apparate to the shore and leave these people to their fate.

 _Although…_ He thought shrewdly. _Perhaps it is a good idea to assess my skills in the face of danger especially when the stakes are low._ He hummed.

He planted his feet firmly, and aimed for the Carp's eyes and the area under his gills.  
"Confundo! Bombarda Maxima! Reducto!"  
He fired off spells, powering them with more magic than was usual.  
 _Why the fuck was this fish so fast!_ He was forced to roll out of the way, when the carp shot a hot steam of water at him. _It was intelligent too!_ The more he fought the bloody beast, the more it began predicting his moves and attempting to outmaneuver him, it was almost like he was dueling an opponent, except this enemy was a one trick pony with superior speed and an impenetrable shield. _How impenetrable though? I cannot keep dodging forever, I need to finish this quickly._

What followed was a series of dodging executed in the most clumsy manner spurred only by his will to survive. He panted heavily, not accustomed to such bodily maneuvering as the fish spat water at him burning holes into the deck because of sheer pressure with which they were aimed at its target.  
He did not have the time to dodge the next one. "Protego!" he yelled, conjuring a shield to take the brunt of the water pistoning at him. Sweat rolled down his shoulder.  
He got up shakily from where he had thrown himself into the wooden barrels on the deck, clutching his right side where his ribs were bruised. He stared at the fish with determination, gathered all the magic he possibly could and in a fit of what could only be called sheer and absolute recklessness, he waited for the fish to attack him instead of attempting to aim at it first. So as a result, the fish came flying face first onto Tom.

"DIFFINDO!" He roared, slashing his wand diagonally. The sound of flesh tearing ripped through the air, deafening. He heard the men shouting when his world rained red.

There was a beat of hushed silence, and then the ear splitting shriek of a man wailing in horror.

"Oh shut up, bloody civilians," The boy barked, agitatedly.

"Shinobi-san! Shinobi-san!" He yelled going closer to the area on the deck where the Mighty Kiri Carp laid in tatters, its innards shredded and grotesque featuring half digested morsels. The smell of blood, feces and dead meat filled the air.  
Tom slowly emerged from behind the beast, drenched in blood and other fleshy bits he really didn't want to name. He sighed, wiping his face. "Yes, boy?"

"I'm not 'Boy'" He sniffed and then gagged on the atrocious smell. "You need a bath."

"Yes.. yes.. " said, Tom tiredly, completely drained of his magic after that kill.

He didn't really have the opportunity to lie down and sleep though, as the crew approached him hesitantly like he was the devil itself. _No rest for the wicked._

"Shinobi-san." The leader of the crew said imperiously, though his voice shook. "Since you have very generously aided us in slaying this Mighty carp, we shall allow you to leave with the children on our ferry to reach shore."

Tom looked at him disbelievingly. " _Allow me-?"_ His eyes glinted at the posturing.

"Shinobi-san risked his life against a majestic beast to save yours, you ungrateful idiots!" yelled the little girl.

Tom rubbed his brow, predicted the onset of a harsh migraine, and immediately smeared more blood on himself.

"Fine... fine…" He waved his hand. "We'll take the boat," He was certainly not in any condition to apparate.  
Tom tiredly made his way with the children into a small ferry that hung off to the side of the ship and waited for it to be lowered down. The children chattered merrily.  
"And then PEW! The water came slamming and shinobi-san went flying out of the way!" the boy gesticulated, his hand bouncing to the right to depict Tom's trajectory. The girl was nodding just as enthusiastically. Tom wavered, it was odd to see a little girl as animated with the violence as she was. _All of this was such a mystery._ It was killing him not to get to the bottom of it immediately. As it was, he could barely keep his eyes open. The children were surprisingly helpful, they took an oar each and started rowing to shore.  
Eventually, the adrenaline in his blood quelled enough to notice the disgusting smell wafting off of him, he gagged in disgust. Tom made the executive decision of lifting himself off the side of the boat and propelling himself into the water, ignoring the shouts of alarm from its young passengers. While a cleaning charm would work it wouldn't clean him completely. He tried to wash off what grime he could, leaving a red trail in his wake. He stayed afloat by sheer will power and pulled himself back up just as they reached the shore.  
He looked around consideringly at the environment he'd been given. A tall shelf of cliffs lined the shore for a short distance before a forest began, and the trees undoubtedly sloped uphill. If he were an enemy or even a look out, he would take advantage of higher ground over the cliffs, he looked up tracing the jagged top.

Tom surveyed the rocky expanse of the cliffs once more when _There!_  
As they reached the shore, he motioned for the children to be quiet and used his wand to shrink the boat and shove it into his pocket. Then he moved stealthily towards the forest. The cliff broke off tapering into a neat alcove; into a cave of sorts. He ushered the children in, and in quick movements layered a silencing charm, a low level ward, cleaned and then dried himself.

"So," He said finally, looking at his unwanted charges. "I have two questions before I pass out. I have spent too much energy. One, do you mean me any harm?"

The children looked at him wide eyed and shook their heads. " No, we only wanted to escape-"  
"Ok good." Tom butted in. "And two, what are your names?"

The Boy took a step forward, coming to attention. "I am Momochi Zabuza, and this is Terumi Mei. We are in your debt." He said bowing deeply.

"Fantastic" He slurred. The words were music to Tom's ears, if debts were even remotely similar in this place as they were in England, they would be taken seriously. Even so he put an extra layer of ward on himself draining him of the last of his magic as he lulled into a fitful sleep.

* * *

When he woke up next, it was in the middle of the night. There was a soft chatter of voices, the smell of cooked meat and a soft glow of orange light that told him the children had made a fire and were roasting something on it.

"Shinobi-san!" Mei called happily. "We hunted some game and cooked it so you could rest up and eat and gain some strength!"

Tom could only look on in amazement as the child worked on her prey like it was an every day ordeal, even Tom wasn't accustomed to the barbarity of surviving in the wilderness. The Magicals here must truly be amazing, to be able to learn survival skills at such a young age. Tom shook his head, and offered his thanks. He ate quietly, contemplating on how to go about questioning these children without giving away too much. _If anything goes wrong I could just erase their memories._

He did not need to initiate any conversation though, as the young boy- _Zabuza-_ faced him with his eyes glittering.

"Who are you Shinobi-san? Are you not from here? You sound funny! Foreign! You wear funny clothes too! Can you teach us to protect ourselves? Do you serve a Kage? What is that stick thing you have? Why aren't you as strong as other Jounin?"  
The boy finally paused to breathe, having said all of that in one go. He was squirming with curiosity.

Tom felt a flash of irritation at his last statement. But despite the fact that this child was being loud and crowding his personal space, Tom couldn't help but be amused. Here was a child that wanted to learn, and if there was anything Tom Riddle valued, it was young lives striving to better themselves. _The society was only as good as its weakest link_ , Tom mused.

Looking down at himself, Tom admitted Zabuza was accurate in his assessment that he stuck out like a sore thumb in these robes. He fished around his pocket and dug out the trunk and unshrunk it, ignoring the children's thrilled exclaims.

He began thinking about his predicament, and although he wanted to proceed carefully, it was becoming obvious he wouldn't gain any information without losing some first. And as far as divulging information went, it was better to confide in a child compared to an adult Shinobi in this unknown territory.

"Zabuza-kun" _Boy, was he glad he lived in Japan for a bit, or he would never get the hang of these honorifics._ "I would like to propose a trade. I will answer your questions if you shall answer mine."

The children nodded in excitement as they were finally getting answers. _Of course, I've easily slept five hours, if not more. I must have really drained my core in that fight._ He mucked around the trunk a little and found what he was looking for; loose fitting garments that he bought for his stay in Japan. They were a light blueish-gray color, matching his eyes. He looked at the children.

"My name is Tom Riddle. I am not from here, though you might have to explain where 'here' is, as I have arrived here by accident."

"Riddle-san" Mei twisted- the foreign sounding word over her tongue. Tom sighed, if he had to stay here he might as well make his name easier to say.

"You may call me Voldemort" He said, remembering the anagram he made years ago.

"Voldemo-san" Mei nodded, finding it infinitely easier to say. "You are in Mizugakure no shima; Island hidden behind water. You aren't loyal to any of the Kages or Feudal Lords, I presume?"

_The girl was sharp as a tack, what did they feed these kids?_

"No, it is safe to say I am not, Mei-chan" Tom agreed. "Though I wouldn't like for that to spread."

Mei and Zabuza nodded seriously, even if they were surprised by his easy admittance.

"I'm going to put up a screen to change now. Why don't you tell me about this continent?" He conjured a screen and slipped out of his robes quickly to change into the new clothes.

And so Terumi Mei spoke.  
"The Continent is made up of several countries" She began in a lecture that looked extremely put upon and Zabuza had to stifle a giggle. "They operate as separate political entities and are monarchies, ruled by a Daimyo who stands as a ruler for an entire country. Each country has a Shinobi Village that has Heads who are generals that take care of military matters."

 _This sounds very similar to Feudal Japan_ , Tom mused. _The countries probably maintain balance between themselves through nothing but power._ He removed the screen and sat down comfortably in front of the fire.

"The majority of the power is held by the five elemental nations that includes Earth or Tsuchi, Lightning or Kumo, Wind or Kaze, Mizu or Water and Fire or Hi, along with other minor nations." Finished Mei.

"But you never told him about the Shinobi villages!" Zabuza exclaimed. "Terumi and I are Ninja!" He explained to Tom, quite passionately. "Shinobis are trained for survival from a very young age if we have the chakra coils and show the aptitude for it. Then we go to the Academy when we are old enough for training so we can protect our villages and those who are precious to us!" He said proudly.

_These chakra coils seem to be the equivalent of a magical core. Fascinating how children are indoctrinated into serving their villages, I really must explore these nations before I head home._

"What exactly are the Shinobi Villages?" He asked Mei, knowing she was eager to answer.

"The Hidden Villages are where the Ninja live and train," she smiled. "The Kages or Heads stand equally with the landlords that rule the country they are a part of. A Hidden Village maintains its economy by training its citizens to be ninja from a young age and using them as manpower in various missions others would pay for, from weeding a garden for a single payment to receiving a constant budget from the country it resides in for being soldiers in case the country is involved in a war."

Mei recited, as if from a book. Tom looked amused. _A symbiotic relationship then. Material and Human resources in exchange for military protection._

"So if I wanted to learn more about these villages, I would have to explore! Ne, Zabuza-kun?"

"No no no" Zabuza said, panicking. "We are at War, Voldemo-San! You cannot simply cross borders without permission or at least being sneaky about it!"

"War?" He raised an eyebrow. He vaguely remembered the men on the ship saying something to that effect when he first woke up.

"Hai!" Zabuza nodded. "The First Shinobi War had culminated in a peace treaty twenty years ago, but it did not hold. The nations succumbed to a second great war a few years ago."

 _Something that was reminiscent of his world,_ thought Tom in surprise. He hummed and stood up, stretching a bit, still a bit stiff from his nap. He waved his hand to clear the remnants of their food, smirking when the children gasped.

He decided he felt benevolent enough to divulge some information after all.

"Hmm. I do not have loyalties as of yet, so you needn't worry children. What I have seems to be the equivalent of your Chakra coils, we call it a magical core."

"Magic," Breathed Terumi Mei, both of them looked up at him in awe, their eyes wide. "We have never seen anything like it before!"

"Indeed." Tom nodded, unsurprised. There seemed to be a different system in place for their energy conduct. He figured he wouldn't learn more until he met an older shinobi.

"This stick is called a wand. Where I come from, it is used as a conduit that is unique to every magical person. As such, I cannot tell if you can utilize the power I wield, until we experiment. Don't worry, we shall do so soon enough. Now tell me what you meant by me not being strong?"

The children looked a little embarrassed but Mei spoke up, "Voldemo-san, you aren't very fast. Even our genin could run circles around you?"

Feeling a little irate, he spoke up harshly, "What are you talking about? What is a genin?"

In the blink of an eye Zabuza appeared next to him and it wasn't often that it happened but Tom's mouth dropped open. _No wonder the Mighty Kiri Carp tired me out, Merlin! Seriously, What. is. in. their. food?!_

"The military is divided based on their skill, Voldemo-san. We start at the academy then there are the genin, chunin and jounin. The Kage are considered the strongest fighters of their village." Mei said awkwardly.

It occurred to Tom that the lifestyle here was much more ruthless, and whatever morals they had were very skewed as compared to his life back home. _The children are smart, hard working and efficient,_ he realized, his eyes widened. _By Morgana, I might actually feel right at home! Now now,_ he chastised himself. _No need to get ahead of myself before I've collected enough data._

He inhaled deeply, trying not to feel too put out by the feeling of inadequacy.

"Looks like we would benefit from an exchange of skill-set," He said instead.

The children nodded happily.

"Now, then…" Tom's smile was shark-like. "On to more interesting questions. Where are you escaping from and why? And why have you tacked on to me to protection"

The children blanched in unison and glanced at each other.

"Well sir, Voldemo-san, that is to say-"

"Don't lie to me," Tom said coldly. "Lord Voldemort always knows."

That seemed to have the desired effect, and everything came rushing out.

It seemed the children were orphans, their parents were casualties of war. They escaped to avoid getting drafted under the Sandaime Mizukage.

"Drafted?" Tom said disbelievingly. "How old are you?"

"We are four, sir," Mei said shyly. "It isn't so much about our age, as it is about our abilities."

It turned out certain clans had something called Kekke Genkai. Tom listened in amazement as Mei explained to him.

"I beg your pardon?!" Tom almost fell back to polished English. "You can do what?!"

"I can spit lava," said Mei embarrassed. "It's called the Lava Release. I also have the boil release since I descend from two important clans."

"Show him, Mei-chan!" cried Zabuza. Mei looked up to Tom, nervously. _Oh this would not do, talent should only be nurtured._ Tom managed to turn his frown into what he hoped was an encouraging smile.  
She beamed at him and turned to the fire giving it her utmost concentration. She made a seal with her hands, took a deep breath and spat into the logs. A small spittle of lava flew to the fire and she looked back at him awkwardly. " I'm not trained yet..." she trailed off.  
"That was very good," said Tom seriously and she grinned. "What about you?" He said, turning towards Zabuza.

"I don't have a Kekke Genkai, Voldemo-San" he said, scratching the back of his head. "I am good at Tai-jutsu though, and I've only begun learning Ninjutsu." He stopped wondering if he should say anymore. "I came because Mei-chan needed someone to be there." He blushed a deep red, as though he had confessed a sin. Mei conversely, looked mighty pleased. Tom only observed and shelved their interaction in the back of his brain.

"Alright then, the sun is coming up. Might as well see what we can do." The children cheered, more than ready to head outside and learn. Tom grinned, quite liking the idea of teaching. He eyed the bandages on their arms and legs that kept their clothing from getting in the way, so he conjured some leaves into bandages so he could tie them as well. They headed out into the woods.

"We usually start by meditating, Voldemo-san! Then we stretch and run laps." Said Zabuza.

Tom agreed readily. Anything was better than to be stuck at the level of his current level of boredom and mediocrity. Meditation came easily; he was used to these exercises of centering himself to design his mindscape, since he had begun to learn occlumency and animagus transformations. When they stopped after an hour, Tom followed their instructions for stretching. It wasn't until they began running on a well trodden path in a clearing, that Tom began to comprehend just how out of shape he was. He panted deeply, already drenched in sweat while the children just ran on and on. He somehow managed to make seven of the ten circuits and collapsed in an inelegant heap on the forest floor. He lay still on his back wondering what he did to deserve this. _Surely, there was an easier way?_  
  
Zabuza came laughing at him. "Voldemo-san, you gave up so easily!"

All Tom could do was grunt.

Eventually Mei joined them as well, and Tom decided now was a good time as any to see if they could access their core. To their utter dismay it wasn't as easy for them. It seemed when calling upon it, they could only access some portion of it. Zabuza managed to emit water from his hand and Mei could manipulate both fire and water. Tom had a sneaking suspicion that it wasn't completely because of the lack of a conduit that the children couldn't access their core, just as it wasn't as easy for him to increase his endurance. Something in him told him to keep trying despite the failure.

Feeling a little disheartened, they decided to pick some fruits for a quick breakfast and head back to their cave, when Tom stiffened.

"What is it, Voldemo-san?" asked Mei in a hushed whisper.

"Stand behind me, someone is coming" Tom said curtly, feeling the vibrations of an incoming creature - _human_ \- from the direction of the cliffs. The children complied without question, but with worried little expressions on their faces.

There was a spike of an aura that spoke of death. _The Killing Intent,_ Tom remembered.

"Ah… I wondered where you three went. I lost track of you a half hour ago." An unfamiliar voice called.

"Who are you?" Tom demanded, noting the band on his forehead depicting the Mist.

"I am a Shinobi of The Hidden Village of the Mist" The man looked for all the world like a cat playing with a ball of yarn. "We have a claim on Wave, shinobi-san…. The real question is," The killing intent spiked, and the man felt a lot more threatening than he did mere moments ago, as the feeling of suffocation entered his lungs.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?"


	4. Välkommen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Beta: Devoid Black.  
> Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and Naruto.

**Chapter 4:Välkommen**

välkommen.: (Swedish) (n. or adj.) greeting given upon someone's arrival.

> _“I write, erase, rewrite,_
> 
> _Erase again, and then_
> 
> _A poppy blooms”_
> 
> _-Hokushi (1603-1868)_

Sarutobi Hiruzen steepled his fingers on his desk to look down at his crouching student.

“Rise ANBU-Snake.” He said. “and remove your mask. You won’t need it for this mission.”

The boy- _no man now_ \- gently removed his mask to look at his sensei.

“Your orders, Hokage-Sama?”

“The council has decided Konoha should lay claim on Wave” a voice spoke up on his right. His student quirked his lips.

“Will I have a team?” he asked.

The Hokage nodded. “Jiraiya and Sakumo-kun will join you when you are done scouting the islands and have a strategy ready. There is only one ship we are aware of.. it is docked in the south...” He handed him a folder. “Your team is at the Kiri border, send Jiraiya a summon when you are done. I can spare them for this.” Orochimaru’s eyebrows went up high. Yes, he was aware it was overkill. But, they were close by, and sending three Jonins, no matter how recently earned, was better than sending a cart of Gennin’s to get slaughtered. He took respite in the fact that they were skilled enough to be successful.

“If you are successful, this will turn the tide at the Kiri front, it is strategically sound” Orochimaru’s eyes flickered to Danzo when he spoke up. Playing a three sided war was no easy business. “Though, sending the Hatake brat is unnecessary.”

“Hmm.. he isn’t a brat any longer, Danzo” Sarutobi looked amused. “He’s made a name for himself already.. haven’t you heard? He’s called the Konoha’s White Fang”

Danzo snorted rudely. “As long as it gets the work done” he sneered. Sarutobi shook his head.

“When do I leave?” Orochimaru asked, his eyes speeding through the information in the folder.

“As soon as you can”

“Hai, Sensei!” He casually addressed his Hokage and left.

“You give the boy too much leeway, Hiruzen” Danzo said casually, leaning back in his chair to look at his friend, with one eye peering out of his bandaged face. His hands played with the stick he used as his crutch and he slowly got up to hobble over to the window that looked over the city.“You would trust him that much?”

 _Surely, Jiraya and Tsunade were more disrespectful that this_?!, Hiruzen thought incredulously. But he pondered upon the question and it took a moment for him to answer. When Danzo looked back, the Hokage’s face was scrunch up in an odd expression. Then it cleared.

“With my life” he said with certainty.

* * *

_“Who are you and what are you doing here?”_

Tom smirked at the assailant. Sixteen years of easily surpassing his opponents and bullying his tormenters had unsurprisingly given Tom a superiority complex. He was more than willing to admit this; after all credit was given where credit was due and Tom was surrounded by people who were envious, jealous or in awe of his abilities. His raw power alone surpassed that of his year-mates in Hogwarts or even 80 percent of the Wizarding population in their prime. Wizards were considered adults at the age of 17 and there was good reason for this. A good two-thirds of a wizard’s power was slowly built into their core while they learnt in a magical school; the magical practice they inculcated at that age was meant to stretch the core out and make it flexible, just in time for what was known as the Magical Growth spurt; a rush of power on their 17th birthday that finally christened them as adults. But this wasn’t supposed to mean they were done studying. Records from the medieval ages that survived the burnings said that the sudden rush of magic caused a fluctuation in the core; that was the age wizards were apprenticed for three to four years to learn additional skills and to learn to regulate the sudden influx. Traditional Wizarding families still did this, so that their young could inherit their seats in the councils as functional adults. Since magic came easily to Tom, he had put in extra time and effort into practicing difficult and more power oriented spells to expand his reserves. Whether this would help increase his core when time came, or simply make it easier or less painful for the impending influx was yet to be seen.

All of this though, was moot point when the Kiri Shinobi blurred from vision and reappeared in front of him.

“Oh” Tom’s eyes widened when the man grinned sadistically in his face, he wasn’t even allowed to defend himself as a leg swung to hit him in the ribs and he was thrown in to a tree to his right.

“It really isn’t polite to keep a fellow Shinobi waiting” The man said wryly, looking puzzled.  
“…could’ve sworn you were a high Chunin with your chakra levels” He muttered.

Tom shakily got to his feet, more pissed off than he was willing to admit. Yes, Tom Marvolo Riddle had power in spades and was in the top echelon in the Wizarding world. But Voldemort? He was thrown in to the elemental nations ill-equipped and severely outclassed. He took a dueling stance and faced his opponent who was already making seals. Tom didn’t let him finish before he created a protective barrier. “Protego Maximus” he snarled. What looked like rapid water bullets rained down on the protective dome that covered him and the children. Zabuza and Mei were looking at the shimmering blue surface with wide eyes and concern. “Stand behind me and don’t get in the way”

“Hai” Zabuza said shakily, he clutched Mei by the wrist and pulled her behind him, just in time for the water barrage to stop.

“Is that all you’ve got-?” Zabuza frantically muffled Mei’s challenge and Tom pursed his lips in consternation. He was tiring out rapidly, very unused to this kind of duel.

“Hm. Perhaps I should knock you out and take you to the captain” The man contemplated looking at Tom. Then he shrugged, “Or not”  
The shinobi pulled a sharp, pointy arrow thing out of nowhere and dread pooled in Tom’s stomach, he closed his eyes to center himself.

_Clang*_

The sharp sound of metal against metal sounded in the air and Tom opened his eyes startled.

A sheet of silky, black hair and thick purple rope was all he noticed before a lilting voice called from in front of him.

“You might want to pay a little attention, Shinobi-san”

 _A man!_ The raspy voice took him by surprise.Tom’s attention was drawn to a long thin looking blade drawn in his right hand.

“Leaf-Shinobi” Their attacker growled, charging with intent and more spiky metallic objects in hand.

His savior, however, seemed barely frazzled. One moment he was there and the next he was behind the Kiri Shinobi with the sword against his throat.

There was a beat, the man looked up and caught Tom’s eye and he sucked a breath in. _Mr. Snake!,_ was his first thought as he looked into golden eyes with slit pupils and his savior slit the Kiri-Shinobi’s throat.

He looked curiously at the older man that stood a couple of inches shorter than his proud 5 feet 10 inches. At first glance, one would say they were related but looking closer he noticed a lot of obvious differences. He was pale, _Paler than me,_ Tom noticed dubiously. _The man was paper white!_ He had dark, jet black hair; it was glossy and straight and ran all the way to his waist, where Tom’s was curly and short. He had an oval shaped face with slanting Asian cheek bones as compared to Tom’s more classically aristocratic, European features highlighting his higher cheekbones and a sharp jawline. More noticeably, there were purple markings around his eyes that softened his features, making him look more androgynous than he would otherwise. He wore pale gray lose robes, a Yukata, his brain reminded him, that was split on the sides for easy movement. It was tied with a purple rope or Obi.The marking on the metal band on his forehead told him he was from the Hidden Leaf Village; Konoha. Tom’s gaze fell to the sword in his hand.

His inspection lasted the amount of time it took the man to look at the dead body at his feet and proceed to use the hand signs to make a duplicate of himself. He then changed his appearance to the dead Shinobi. _Without a polyjuice! An illusion?_ Tom looked on as the image raced away.

Zabuza sucked in a breath behind him.

“Is that the legendary Sword of Kusanagi?!” He exclaimed disbelievingly.He was staring at the blade reverently.

The man however, only had eyes for Tom.

“Your chakra pools are vast.” He stated matter-of-factly. “Yet, you do not defend yourself?”

Tom began to speak when the man stated in derision,“Pathetic”

His brain came to a screeching halt.

_WHAT DID YOU SAY?!_

But before he could even think about standing up for himself his brain made another turn and promptly went into overdrive.

 _He’s right though, isn’t he? I thought I was the best out there…_ Tom began hyperventilating, the memory of being swatted like an insect dropping on him like a pile of bricks. _How the mighty have fallen. Perhaps the Slytherins and the Muggles at the orphanage were right, after all. I’m a pathetic, little mudblood. Powerless... Useless... Couldn’t even protect myself, let alone two other lives. Just like Mr. Snake…_

Tom swallowed noisily. _And they call me the Heir?? The attacker wasn’t even the most powerful being on this land. I’m going to be eaten alive here, why don’t I just head back to where I belong. This place isn’t for me, I should probably go back to the mugg-_

A resounding slap across his cheek brought him back to the present. He didn’t know when he got there or how much time had passed but he had made it back to the cave with the two children in tow, the blood was still pounding in his rib cage and he had broken out in cold sweat . The man from before looked at him in contempt.

“Aw.. Poor shinobi-san should learn to retreat when the adults are fighting, yes?” He mocked, chuckling lightly.

Tom snapped.

“Who the ever-loving-fuck are you? Is it customary to encroach on somebody else’s duel? Nobody asked for your assistance!” Tom spat out, rapidly losing his patience.

“Of course, you were doing absolutely fine by yourself, winning even” He smiled condescendingly.

A vein ticked in Tom’s temple. “I am not pathetic-!” He suddenly cut himself short and he took in a slow and deep breath. “I’m not going to ask again. Who are you?”

“I am Orochimaru” the man raised an eyebrow. “A Jonin of Konoha, who are you?”

Tom pursed his lips. “A Jonin from Konoha? Why are you here?”

Something switched in the man and he stretched out on the floor languidly. A small smile present on his face that looked more condescending that anything else. “It is war, shinobi-san. I come for reasons that are my own. But, you haven’t divulged anything. You neither have a hitae-ate nor the skill but your reserves are more than that of a genin, and then... your speech is tainted, will you not introduce yourself?”

Tom contemplated his situation wearily as this man... Orochimaru dissected him with his gaze. He had thought he would investigate and look for some answers, explore the area. He needed to know how he got here and if he was capable of getting out. The choice of an answer was taken out his hands.

“I am Momochi Zabuza, this is Terumi Mei and this is Voldemo-san! And THAT is the sword of Kusanagi!” Zabuza said, pointing at the sword. Orochimaru chuckled.

“Yes, so it is. I might tell you more about it.. however…” Orochimaru turned to face Tom fully. “Voldemo-San and I are going to have a little chat”

Tom erased his face of all emotions while Orochimaru looked delighted with his effort. Amused even. Although that seemed to be his permanent state of being.

“What is it that you want from me, Orochimaru-san? Tom asked impassively, shooting a glance at the children warning them from speaking any further.

“Oh! please call me Orochimaru.” He said. “I came here in order to take out that Kiri-chunin… You see he was deployed at such a vantage spot.” He then looked at Tom from under his lashes. “Imagine my surprise, when I found someone else already engaged in a fight with my target! A foreign Shinobi who walks like a civilian and fights with a .. stick! Is that stick… special, Voldemo-san?”

Tom didn’t change his expression and somehow, this caused Orochimaru to grin widely, showing his fangs. Mei squeaked behind him.

Another moment passed in an impasse, and Tom pursed his lips, trying not to give in to his anger. Should he try to get out of here? He could easily escape, yes. Apparating out was stupidly easy but this was a an opportunity to understand the political climate and his predicament. _And something about his superior smirk makes me want to punch his face._ Tom gritted his teeth. If he has to play nice with this infuriating idiot for a little while longer, so be it.

Orochimaru let out a breathy chuckle. “Alright, I see how it is. How about this, if you help me out with a little bit of reconnaissance, I might see it fit to ask our Hokage for your immunity.”

“What?!” Zabuza’s baffled exclamation was a copy of his own but he didn’t let it show on his face.

“Why would I want your Hokage’s immunity?” Tom asked, jadedly. _The idiot was so trusting, I might have overestimated these people._

Orochimaru looked at him with faux pity causing Tom to bristle in indignation.

“Voldemo-san, you are a foreigner who does not have any knowledge but you do have potential. If the Kiri idiot got suspicious that easily of your origin, imagine everybody else you come across, I imagine there are secrets you keep. Besides, I did not say your immunity came for free…”

Tom sighed resignedly.He was way out of his depth. Barely two days had passed with him on this land and his identity was already under suspicion. If his clueless-ness was that obvious, he would rather limit the number of people who knew about it. He really needed to acclimate to this place as soon as possible. Mediocrity was unacceptable.

“What do you want from me?” he asked.

“An exchange in knowledge” Came the immediate response.  
“Your loyalty and war effort for our village in exchange for immunity, the development of your skill-set and…” Orochimaru paused. “Your lives.”

Tom stilled, so unused to being realistically threatened, his blood pounded in his neck. He forced himself to calm down.

“That’s not a choice at all, Orochimaru-San” he said, deliberately relaxing his shoulders.

“Hmm, it’s Orochimaru and… no it’s really not” Orochimaru agreed, smiling.

Tom really hated the position he was in. He scrutinized this person and somehow, he knew he hadn’t witnessed even a fraction of his power. While ideally, he would have liked to explore on his own, the backing of a village to access knowledge he oh-so desperately needed would be welcome. Besides, he could always while away some time to get stronger before he made his own way. Orochimaru smirked as if he knew what he was thinking.

“I could add the immunity of your ducklings in the deal” Orochimaru gestured at the children, startling Tom. He snuck a look at their wide eyes and shrugged.

“What is this reconnaissance you speak of?” he asked, very surprised that this man was keeping him on his toes.

Orochimaru nodded, pleased. “I do want to see if you are truly capable before requesting any favors. We shall rest before scouting the lay out and position of the Kiri-Shinobi on wave, this island. I’ll be leaving my bunshin- my clone-” Orochimaru explained, even though Tom's face hadn’t so much as twitched. “-with you to check on your abilities.” _And you,_ was left unsaid.

“Your ducklings shall remain here” , causing the children to protest loudly, while Tom looked at him quizzically. _Ducklings?!_

“Hush” admonished Orochimaru. “It will be dull work. Not to mention dangerous if your aren’t careful and get caught. Might as well see if you are any good at infiltration. I’ll leave some ration bars with you, and we’ll get some food back in the evening.”

“…Orochimaru, don’t you think you’re taking too much for granted?” Tom asked drily, noticing how the children were being unusually silent. He might have agreed to this charade in his mind but it’s not like his said it out loud yet.

“Not really” Orochimaru shrugged. “I hold a better hand to make you submit after all”

Tom clenched his jaw and tilted his head making Orochimaru smirk.

“And what exactly do you expect me to do” He said lowly through clenched teeth.

“Lay out, patrols, out-posts; you know… any information that would help launch an attack”

He took the ration bars from him and checked if they were laced with poison. He handed them out to the children and ate one quickly, then turning, he exited the cave to fulfill whatever requirement this man wanted him to complete. “Stay here” he told his, hopefully temporary, charges. He put up a small ward and followed Orochimaru out.

“Wait” Orochimaru made him halt, quickly making a sign with his hands to make a duplicate.  
“I will take the east, you two will taking the west. We circle back and return at sundown”

Tom nodded and the original disappeared. He looked curiously at the duplicate who smirked, “Well…? Come on then!” Tom looked on curiously, despite his irritation. The duplicate had consciousness of his own.

“What is it?” Orochimaru asked as they went towards the trees.

“What are you? I mean.. do you have consciousness of your own?”

“Voldemo-san... Where are you from-?” He caught Tom’s cagey expression and stopped himself. “Hmm.. it is surprising that you don’t even know the basics… I’m a chakra construct, capable of relaying information when I disperse. The more powerful the Shinobi, the more chakra he can feed the construct, thus making it more realistic. A Genin or even a Chunin would probably disperse taking one hit.”

“And you?” asked Tom. Orochimaru smiled, and Tom grunted at his secrecy.

“The hand signs… What are they?” He asked when no he saw no information coming his way.

“These are called seals. The exact amount of chakra necessary to perform a technique is manipulated through hand seals.There are different sequences of hand seals for every technique, requiring memorization.

While techniques may require a number of hand seals to work, a skilled ninja can use less or even one to perform the same technique. For instance, the Water Release: Dragon Bullet Technique, which requires a total of 44 hand seals to activate. Senju Tobirama, the Second Hokage, however only needed to use one hand seal to complete the technique, a testament to his skill.”

Tom glanced at him oddly from the corner of his eyes, noting his easy switch to a lecturer. “Are you a Professor, Orochimaru?”

Orochimaru huffed. “No, that would be my sensei. I like to read though… how do you manipulate your chakra then?”

_How much information should I give him?_

Tom looked at him nonchalantly. “I use this stick as conduit.” He said showing his wand and Orochimaru’s eyes gleamed. “It has a core from a phoenix, the wood of yew. It is specific to a user.”

 _Best to get that out of the way,_ Tom thought, recognizing the _want_ in Orochimaru’s eyes that dulled upon learning that piece of information.

“A phoenix? Like a white snake?” Orochimaru muttered.

“What’s that?” Tom asked and Orochimaru shook his head making Tom look at him curiously.

“I can also channel the… chakra without it” Tom said slowly.

“You best learn how to do that” He responded, considering. Looking at Tom’s bewildered expression he explained, “Voldemo-san, you are slow. Very slow, in fact. Us Shinobi channel chakra to different muscle groups to increase endurance and speed, that is after already being physically trained for years. By this time I would have reached the main town and back. Your lack of speed is a huge weakness you will have to compensate for in the future. And that stick well? By your own admission you’re not completely functional without it, are you? We are ninja, not samurai. We do not follow those ethics, if an opponent can throw your weapon out of your hand to win, he will. It is the matter of survival.”

 _Ruthless,_ was Tom’s first thought. _But then again,logical as well. I will need to work on this._

Tom panted as they slowly made the uphill climb finally spotting rooftops in the distance.

“I am going to disguise myself to look like a civilian. Walk around , ask some questions, be observant and stick to the west.” Orochimaru said disguising himself and vanishing.

Tom let out a long suffering sigh, remembering the good old days he used to be the one giving orders. He swallowed in his pride _for now_ , and roamed around observing the browbeaten state of the little village.

There seemed to be Kiri Shinobi about.. Four… eight… that he could count. The rest were civilians.

The Shinobi wore blue uniform and the familiar hitae-ate. Swords seem to a constant presence, sometimes even for the civilians. Orochimaru’s clone of the dead Shinobi wasn’t around. _He probably took up sentinel at the cliffs. Hmm… that probably meant there are Shinobi around the perimeter of the island._

Tom snuck into an alley and cast a disillusionment charm on himself. He then roamed the perimeter on the west, it was guarded by 5 outposts, each with at least 2 Shinobi until he reached the north, where there were 3 more. The west also showed the main continent in the horizon. He went over to a rock and sat down, dipping his feet in the water. What exactly was he doing here? He peered at the fuzzy land mass in the distance. When he went in search for more knowledge, he didn’t expect to be punted in to a world so far from his own, that he couldn’t even recognize it. What would happen if tried to apparate to the street with the meat shop? Tom shuddered, he had a suspicion that was a terrible idea. Until he had more information, he would play along with this charade. If nothing else he could learn to grown stronger, keep some new tricks up his sleeve. That loss from the unknown Shinobi stung. And then he actually got saved like some damsel in distress. He fumed, his hands twitched in irritation. He was aware he was acting unlike himself, but his composure was shot. Dumbledore accused him of murder? _No problem._ Thrown into medieval Japanese world that seemed more like a hallucination than not? _Swell._ But being mocked for being thrown around by a filthy plebian, who isn’t even close to the strongest being here? Tom fisted his hands and dug them into the soft earth. His hands shook. No, he better play along and gather some knowledge so he can punt that irritating pale man in his face. He took a few deep breaths and tried to meditate. Think about this rationally. This was what he wanted. Who else could say they discovered a hidden magical civilization. Not a lot of people, that’s for sure. He came here to learn. He came here for power. He nodded and got up to get back to his surveillance. While it wasn’t a very large island, it still took Tom a major chunk of the afternoon to walk around it and he made it back into town feeling famished. He decided to risk the bar. Tom changed his appearance to a civilian he saw a while ago and modulated his voice and diction so he wouldn’t stand out He then strode in confidently.

“A bottle of Sake and whatever meal you have on the menu, please” He said, sitting down at the bar counter next to a young Shinobi.

The Shinobi next to gulped down the sake from his masu in one go looked at him sideways. “Isn’t it a little late for a meal?”

He wore a green haori, and had gray-blue hair and blue eyes. Tom looked at his hair in consternation wondering what kind genetic pool circulated this land before he answered.

“Aa.. got a little late at work, Shinobi-san. It’s no big deal, I’ll have it now” he gave a small smile.

“Hmm.. what is your name?” It was asked casually, but something about it set off his senses. Tom wracked his memory to remember the name of the civilian he was impersonating, he was sure he had heard it in passing.

“Masuko… Remari Masuko” he said, without his letting his expression betray his discomfort. “And yours?”

“Ao” the man said genially. “Jonin… the outpost to the north is quite boring”

“Is it?” Tom asked casually. “I would have thought there would be more activity if it was this close to the mainland.” Tom started eating his food like a starving man. “Pack two more meals, please” He called out to the owner, Orochimaru had shoved some Ryo in his hands before he’d left and Tom hadn’t complained.

“Hmm.. that’s true.. but things seem to settling down. At least, in the south. It’s Ame that’s still on a war path.”

Tom wrapped up with his meal. “Well… it was nice to meet you Ao-san” He said getting up, but Ao got up as well.

“I’ll walk out with you”

Tom’s jaw tightened. “alright” he said slowly. He got the packed meals and warily ambled out.

He knew he should have been more cautious.

A gust of wind and blurry vision later Ao stood crowding him in an alley with Tom’s hands in his in a tight grip.

“Alright then Shinobi-san-“

“How-?” Tom’s eyes widened.

“I can feel your chakra levels. What kind of idiot doesn’t even suppress their Chakra?!” Ao huffed exasperatedly.

Tom on the other hand was having just enough with all the insults that were being thrown at him in one day.

“Well, excuse you!” He spat out. “I’m new to all of this, how in the world was I supposed to remember you all could actually sense me.”

Tom winced inwardly, feeling like a massive idiot for his oversight.

“New to this? You look around my age. How could you possibly be new to this?” Ao looked at him perplexed.

“What? I’m reaching my 20s. Not all nations throw four year olds in to war” Tom spat out in derision.

“That is out of necessity.” Ao bit out, his eyes narrowed. “We needed the man power”

“More like canon-fodder”

“Well… it’s not something I had a say in” Ao growled “Even if I didn’t like it, there wasn’t much I could do about it! Frankly, I would hide the children if I could, or better yet help change the age of war-deployment to 11 at least!” 

“Eleven?!” Tom said aghast, deliberately provoking him. 

“Oh what is it now? Is that still not old enough for you?? Quit being a bab-“

“What. Is going on here?” Came a voice from the opening of the alley. Ao jerked to see the newcomer, but that was all the distraction Tom needed and Ao was propelled into the opposite wall, knocked unconscious. 

Tom turned to see Orochimaru’s Bunshin casually lean on the bricked alley way. He dusted off his robes.

“What in Kami’s name were doing? This is not the time for a rendezvous!”

Tom gaped at him. “This isn’t a… a…-“ Tom spluttered. He couldn’t even bring himself to say rendezvous.

Orochimaru rolled his eyes. “Come on, it’s time to head back. I see you bought some food. Did you at least learn something?”

“Of course. What do you take me for?” Tom bit out.

“What are you doing?” asked Orochimaru as Tom kneeled besides Ao.

“A confounding charm” he said testily, not in the mood to respond as his skills had been questioned.

“To make him think he passed out in the alley drunk”

“Oh?” Orochimaru said interested but Tom didn’t say much else. _I am allowed to keep my secrets, thank you very much._

Tom cast a disillusionment on Orochimaru and himself.

“Huh, useful that.” Orochimaru mused. “Almost felt like an egg being cracked on my head.”

Tom’s lips twitched.

“Do you think the original is back yet?” Tom asked.

“Possibly” Orochimaru’s voice came from besides him. “He is undoubtedly faster than us, and unless something came up he probably made it back to the cave hours ago.”

“Wait, how do you know where I am?”

Orochimaru sighed. “Your footsteps can be likened to rampaging elephants, Voldemo-san”

Tom couldn’t help it as his cheeks colored red in embarrassment and he thanked his lucky stars that he was invisible.

“Don’t worry about it, we’ll beat it out of you” He could picture Orochimaru’s ridiculous smirk on his stupid face and he had to call upon every god he knew to control himself from blasting the bastard into the air. _A parabola._ Tom mused. _Imagine him flying in a trajectory with his arse on fire. Happy thoughts._ Tom calmed down.

“Ah. We’re here” Tom wandlessly dropped the spell and they walked into the cave. The children immediately erupted into never ending chatter and from besides him Orochimaru loudly called out “And that’s my cue!” He then proceeded to... poof out of existence. Tom stared at the swirling, purple smoke, feeling a little betrayed. _The original isn’t back yet… Wonder what happened._

“Well here you go” He cut out Zabuza’s monologue, giving them the meals he got them. “Food!” Mei cried, excitedly devouring the contents and they were blessedly silent for all of 10 minutes.

“So, what did you do? What did you see?” Mei babbled.

“Were there Shinobis? I can’t believe Orochimaru-san dispelled himself before I could ask him about his sword!” Zabuza continued.

“Children. Breathe” Tom cut in again, exasperatedly. Keeping four year olds restricted to a cave wasn’t the greatest idea, in hindsight. “What’s so great about swords anyway when you have chakra pools to actually form elements?”

Zabuza gawked at Tom disbelievingly.

“You didn’t just say swords aren’t the greatest thing ever. Mei-chan! Please tell me he didn’t just say that!”

“Why I mean it’s just a sword-!” Mei was frantically shaking her head behind Zabuza.

“JUST A SWORD?! “

“Oh! Now you’ve done it, Voldemo-san!” Mei despaired.

“Voldemo-San, please tell me the world you come from has heard of the Seven Ninja Swordsman of the Mist?”

...

At Tom’s blank expression, Zabuza shrieked in horror and that was how Tom got his first impromptu lesson about the Seven Swordsman of the Bloody Mist. He learnt that the Mizukage handpicked seven swordsman to create an organization for the bloody mist and they were loyal to him. It consisted of the greatest blade-wielding Shinobi Kirigakure could produce, they were considered mystical, the best of the best, capable of toppling entire armies and it was the highest honor for their nation, other than being the Hokage himself. There could only be seven members at a time, and hence the name, although apprenticeships were allowed.

“But…” Tom said thoughtfully. “Why are there only seven, if they can be trained to be that powerful?”

Seven was considered a holy number he knew. Along with 3 and 12, especially while working his runes.

“Well.. it’s the swords themselves..” Mei said, as if it were obvious.

When Tom did not give any sign of recognition, Zabuza raced to correct his lack his knowledge.

“They aren’t normal swords, Voldemo-san! They’re quite special! Let’s see, there’s the Hiramekarei, the Kabutowari ( _the helmet splitter)_ , Kiba _(Fangs)_ , the Kubikiribocho ( _Decapitating Carving Knife)_ , The Nuibari _(The Sewing Needle)_ , Samehada _(Shark Skin)_ and Shibuki _(splash)_ ”

“The Hiramekarei is the twin sword! It is a bandaged double- handled sword that is capable of storing and emitting the user’s chakra which can then take on various forms.

The Kabutowari is more of a single sided axe and a hammer joined by a chain, said to crush any and all defences, it is a blunt sword.

The Kiba are twin swords that are imbued with lightening, and that helps it cut easily. They’re supposed to be the sharpest swords ever forger and are also called the Thunder-swords.”

Mei continued. “And then there’s the Kubikiribocho, also called the Executioner’s Blade. It’s a giant sword that looks like butcher’s knife, there’s a gap in the sword down the middle; in the shape of a semi circle. It is sharp and can be used to decapitate a person, hence the name. The sword has the ability to regenerate using the iron absorbed from the blood it cuts down.

The Nuibari looks like a needle with a long thin, threadlike wire attached to it. It is the long sword, it can be used to pierce humans and sew them together into human bundles.

The Samehada is the most terrifying. I don’t think most can use it, it is a large sword and it covered with what looks like shark scales. It is sentient, I think, as it actually can eat the chakra of the person in contact with it, and not just the opponent but the user as well has to be careful, so that means user must be incredibly powerful and have large chakra reserves.

The Shibuki has a scroll full of explosive tags lined up behind the blade, it’s called the blast-sword.”

“…fascinating” Tom said, processing that diarrhoea of information and stuffing it into a small corner in the back of his mind. While it seemed odd that children would posses all this information, it seemed this is was they heard growing up; their equivalent of fairy tails, vicious and bloody. But, it was incredible that the swords were adapted to further functions than just brutality, these were artifacts of this land. His eyes gleamed for a moment. Tom however kept in mind that this was after all Kiri territory, and any and all knowledge was useful on the off chance that he actually had to face such an opponent.

“Yes, it is!” Zabuza said happily, ecstatic that Tom appreciated the magnitude of his hero-worship.

“We Shinobi are taught to wield swords at a young age, in hopes that we are good enough to join this organization when we are older!”

“The seven swordsmen are known for their silent killing technique. Kiri obviously are talented in the water jutsus. They create mist so they can block the opponents vision… you don’t even see them coming” Mei grinned viciously.

Tom nodded thoughtfully, rapidly thinking about possible counter measures. “And your interest in the Kusanagi?” he asked.

“That!” Mei exclaimed.”Is a monster of a sword that can cut through anything!”

“I’d really like to know the story of how Orochimaru-san came across it” Zabuza grumbled.

“That really is a story for another time, ducklings.” A voice called from the mouth of the cave.

And all three heads snapped to look at the newcomer.

“Orochimaru.” Tom called, catching sight of him. “…And guest? What happened?”he asked, eyeing a child behind him warily.

 _It’s my second day here, why am I even hosting from a cave!_ Tom felt bone weary and ready to sleep.

A boy who looked around 8 years old peeked from behind Orochimaru’s legs and Orochimaru’s grin was feral and familiar. Tom’s interest was immediately piqued.

“Voldemo-san, I’ve sent word of your presence to the Hokage. The village will send for backup, they will arrive by tomorrow afternoon. And this… this is Kaguya Kimimaro”

The boy had pale skin, vivid green eyes and angular facial features. He had two scarlet dots conspicuous on his forehead, and long white hair tied in a loose pony-tail near the middle of his back.He wore his hair divided down the middle on his head (distinguished by an atypical 'zigzag' hair parting) with two separate partings on either side of his face.

“Kaguya!” Mei exclaimed.

“Hmm.. yes that’s right, Mei-chan” Orochimaru said. “He is the sole survivor of his clan and possessor of their Kekke-Genkai”

“Sole survivor?” asked Zabuza. “I thought they were causing havoc in the village only a week ago??”

“Circumstances change” Orochimaru shrugged non-committedly, the child behind him did not look too upset by that but still had a despondent air about him.

“What kind of Kekke-Genkai?” Tom asked. Orochimaru looked too smug for his liking.

“Shikotsumyaku” the child whispered. And all three residents looked at him curious.

“The dead bone pulse?” Mei asked.

“Show them a little” Orochimaru urged, when Kimimaro nodded.

Apparently, the clan could manipulate their bones and Tom watched absolutely intrigued as Kimimaro pointed his index finger at the far wall and shot a little bone out at the speed of a bullet. He watched the bone in the finger re-grow in amazement.

“What.” Tom said flatly, utterly in disbelief.

Orochimaru chuckled in delight.

* * *


	5. The Path Worth Taking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Here's a short chapter from Jiraiya's perspective. Hope you enjoy it :)  
> Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Harry Potter

**Chapter 5: The Path Worth Taking**

> The path worth taking,
> 
> Should I choose, lies in the woods,
> 
> Between mind and heart.
> 
> -Stephanie Zhong

The mist was thick with chakra. It would be a miracle if he could even see his own hand. _Kami bless all that is the Sage Arts and the accompanying ability to sense the living._ The resounding sound of a water jutsu hit on his right and his comrade was flung back into a rock behind them. He watched in horror as scalding water caused the skin on his friend’s neck to bubble and hiss. Itsumo wailed in agony. Jiraiya did not have the time to rush back and help him but he did it anyway. Flitting out of the way of another water jutsu, his hands sped through the seals only to ram his right hand into the ground in front of him.  
Earth Release: Earth Style Wall

He watched with grim satisfaction as an earth barricade was raised out of the ground blocking further attacks. “Cover me!” Jiraiya quickly picked up his friend bridal style and rushed back to the bunker 5 yards away. Flying into the medical tent, he pushed Itsumo on to the medic.

“Boiling water,” he spat out before hurrying back into the fray, leaving his friend to the mercy of the iryo-nin. There was an ominous whistling sound of a scalding rock hurtling at him, which he jumped away from at the last possible second; the ground next to him imploded. 

“Fuck”, he grumbled under his breath. The aerial attack cleared the air, and for a moment he could see through the mist. He spotted Sakumo almost immediately, some ten kilometers to his right. As heavy hitters, they were supposed to take out this wave attack and they were doing well. Sakumo was battling the Shibuki wielder with a smile on his face. His own chakra-sabre was a gleaming a sharp white, blinding to anyone who looked towards it when angled _just so_. Explosions lit around them and Sakumo flit around the man with the kind of elegance that made Jiraiya jealous. He sighed, punching a man in the throat, settling back into his rhythm. _Feint, Dodge, Attack, Repeat._ They might be doing well but it was not as comfortable as fighting alongside his own teammates. 

Jiraiya balked at a sudden wind jutsu flung in his face. He really needed to wrap this up quickly, Ma and Pa on his shoulders were tiring out and his sage mode was flickering. 

“Ma! Pa!” he called. 

“We are ready,” Fukasaku said from his right shoulder.

“Now!”

_Sage Art: Goemon_

Oil, Wind and Fire. The front was immersed in an inferno incinerating everything in sight. The weak were burnt to crisp, the strong leap out of the way and so the enemy finally retreated, if only for a while. 

Sakumo sunshin-ed next to him and clapped his back. 

“You drove my enemy away, Jiraiya-kun,” Sakumo pouted, making Jiraiya grin. “I was having so much fun too! It is not often I get to push my kenjutsu to the limits.”

“Yeah yeah.,” Jiraiya chuckled. “You’ll get your chance yet, don’t worry.”

He scanned the area. Most of their people survived the encounter; he had made sure his attack was directed at their enemies. 

“Pull back!” Sakumo yelled, coming to the same conclusion he had. It was time to retreat and recuperate before the net wave hit; they just had to hold the border at the coast. 

“Alright then Jiraiya-kun, we are off,” Ma muttered exhaustedly from his shoulder as the elder toads popped back into their realm. Jiraiya sighed in relief as he powered down from the Sage Mode. 

It was the first time Jiraiya had used the Sage Mode in battle and he could not maintain it for more than 2 minutes; thankfully, it was enough to subdue the forces. He gently lifted an injured comrade onto his shoulder and headed back to the bunker to drop him off at the medical tent. Laying the man down, he checked on Itsumo, who seemed to be on the mend, before making his way to collapse on a futon next to Sakumo.

“When is this going to end?” he complained. The older man swatted his head.

“What are you even complaining about? It’s not like you have a child waiting for you,” Sakumo said obnoxiously and a sly smile appeared on his face. “Unless-”

“No don’t say it”

“-there’s a _princess_ waiting for you.”

“You bastard,” Jiraiya flew to cover the man’s laughing mouth with his hands, surreptitiously looking around him as if said princess would pop out from the floor.

He slowly let go of his friend who was succumbing to rambunctious laughter.

“Yeah, yeah laugh it up,” he muttered, the tips of his ears red. 

“Mah., Jiraiya-kun… you’re so easy to tease. Seriously though,” Sakumo wiped the tears from his eyes. “You should confess to her soon. We are ninja. There is no point regretting it later, life is short especially with the war and all.” 

“Yeah,” Jiraiya said somberly, remembering the man’s late wife who died at child birth. It never ceased to amaze him how this man could be so positive, even after he lost the love of his life. Yes, it had been two years and he doted on his son… but still. If it were him- No. Never mind that. No point thinking of things that were not meant to be.

“It’s unlikely that she hasn’t caught on anyway. I mean the way you moon- What the fuck!”

Jiraiya was instantly alert, ready to pounce- _oh_.

“I swear to God your teammate, Jiraiya” Then Sakumo blushed. “You’re not mentioning this to anyone.”

Jiraiya giggled replaying the high the squeal from the manly Hatake and rolled his eyes.

“Come here, sweetheart” he said to coiled, green snake;  
it’s venomous, isn’t it? Jiraiya snorted. It slithered to him languidly and hissed, then it opened its mouth wide to vomit out a scroll. 

“Ugh”, Sakumo said, succinctly.

“Eloquent as ever,”  
Sakumo threw a shoe at him.

“Your summons are _dogs_ , Sakumo-kun” Jiraiya drawled, perusing the scroll rapidly. Understanding the seriousness of the situation from the look on Jiraiya’s face, Sakumo swallowed his rebuttal and waited for his verdict.

“Would you look at that...,” Jiraiya said. “We’ve been summoned by the Snake himself.”

“Where to?”

“Wave, we need to be there by noon tomorrow. Seizing land and acquiring assets.” The snake vanished back to its realm.

“Hmm. And when we are done?”

“Sensei is sending a platoon to guard the islands” Jiraiya said, making his way back to his bedroll. He plopped on it, exhausted.

“Hmm… doesn’t sound like they want to maintain it.” Sakumo said settling down.

“No, but it will help with the coming negotiations.”

“Of course.” Sakumo nodded. “We leave after breakfast then?”

“Yep.” Jiraiya was asleep as soon his eyes shut.

* * *

Jiraiya would not admit it to a single soul but he was getting really excited to meet his teammate. Two whole months away from his makeshift family at the frontlines really took a toll on a person.  
Don’t get him wrong, Sakumo and Itsumo were splendid company, more like him in ways his teammates never were: loud, positive with the best kind of humor and really, it surprised him the most that he would miss Orochimaru’s wit or Tsunade’s clobbering. He even missed the old man’s mothering. Sakumo couldn’t fill their absence, just like he couldn’t take the place of the little Hatake tyke. 

He sped up a little, and Sakumo gave him a sidelong look as they shot through the trees.

He sighed, at least it seemed like the war was coming to end. The missive from the previous evening said the five major nations were preparing for an armistice, weary to their bones. As long as they did this properly, through the correct channels, the peace might just last. Taking wave was just wrapping up loose ends, so that they wouldn’t need to compromise more than they have to during the negotiations. 

_If only it was as easy when it came to the negotiations up north._

This reminded Jiraiya of the second part of the missive.

“Jiraiya-kun, did they say anything about the kind of assets we are procuring?” Sakumo said, interrupting his thoughts. _Ah, at least they were on the same wavelength._

“Orochimaru didn’t say much… defecting mist-nin, maybe?” Jiraiya wondered thoughtfully. “We’ll be briefed once we get there I suppose.”

Sakumo gave a shrug, his curiosity apparent.

_Well, there’s no point thinking about it when we can get there and find out._

Before long, a blurry haze showed on the horizon and they stopped to gauge the distance. 

“We run it?” Sakumo asked. “Doesn’t look too far...” He trailed off, squinting.

“Yeah, our entry point is cliff-wards, to the south, _and_ we need to maintain a genjutsu.”

Sakumo looked at him funny. “Can’t do it?”

All things considered; it must seem odd that he couldn’t pull off an hour of water walking.

“I’m not the best at genjutsu,” he explained as he rubbed his nose sheepishly.

“Huh… what do you know? Don’t worry about it, I’ve got it,” Sakumo shrugged. 

“Remember there is at least one ship to the south.”

“Aa, I remember.”

An hour was exactly how long it took. They reached a sandy beach adjacent to a cliff and peered around cautiously. A light glinted off the top of the cliff making him look up. It glinted in a quick pattern.

“He’s one of ours,” Jiraiya grunted, recognizing it as one of Leaf’s morse codes. 

He began moving towards the cliff, when Sakumo stopped him.

“There are people arguing in the forest,” He nodded to the right. “We should go check that out.”

“Damned canine hearing,” Jiraiya joked as they stealthily made their way into the foliage. Sakumo grinned.

They peered from the top of a branch that overlooked a clearing. An angry, young masculine voice with an accent drifted to them.

“-you have no idea what I’m capable of-” 

“No, I don’t. But from what I’ve seen you can’t even defend yourself, let alone attack.”

Jiraiya groaned audibly, easily recognizing the familiar voice on the smirking face.

“Why. Why must he goad everybody? We are on a _mission_! That requires stealth! Since when am I the voice of reason,” His eyes widened in horror and he buried his face in his hands.

Sakumo chuckled lowly. “I don’t know… this looks entertaining. How long do you think, before the kid breaks?”

“I hope he’s used seals, or everyone will know we are here and that really just-”

Jiraiya must’ve missed a part of the conversation because the young man with dark hair did snap.

He pulled out a… stick. His sniggering was cut off when he hissed.

“ _Fiendfyre!”_

“Beautiful” he heard Orochimaru whisper.

Chakra that screamed predator, dense and heavy coated the air, infusing into his skin. Sakumo straightened next to him and the air on his arms stood on end.

They watched as the violent chakra molded itself into a dragon made of fire. 

Orochimaru’s hands were already moving.

_Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique_

_Of course, the bastard won’t defend._ Jiraiya, thought almost fondly. _Look at them, having a pissing contest, it’s almost cute!_

The dragons met between them and clashed with a roar; a pulse emanated from the detonation.

“Alright, that’s quite enough” Sakumo muttered. He sunshin-ed next to Orochimaru when the technique died. _The boy’s fire seems to live on, though,_ Jiraiya thought as he appeared next to Orochimaru’s right.

They watched as his eyes flickered to them and he wrestled the rampant fire back into his control. 

“Back up?” he asked lightly, and Jiraiya was impressed at how casually blank his expression was after the impressive scowl he displayed earlier.

“Asset?” he questioned Orochimaru in return.

“Hmm… one of them,” Orochimaru chuckled. _He really hated it when Oro-teme was in this mood,_ he thought despondently. _Like they were the punchline to a joke they didn’t know._

Sakumo however seemed to have other plans.

“Hey there beautiful, what’s your name?”

Jiraiya’s jaw dropped.

“What.” The boy intoned, flatly. “Orochimaru, is this a joke?”

Sakumo snickered and there was a glint of calculation in his eye. Orochimaru however, wasn’t acting like how he thought he would. Instead of dry amusement, he barked with a scowl. “Sakumo, this is Voldemo-san. Voldemo-san, these are nin from my village, Jiraiya and Sakumo.”

Jiraiya exchanged a look with Sakumo, dazed. _What?!_ A smirk grew on the other man’s face.

_Well.. well.. well.. isn’t this getting interesting._


	6. Anticipation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Naruto  
> Beta: Devoid Black  
> A/N: Thank you for your comments! Kinda split one chapter into 5 and 6. Idky, just seemed like a good place to break it. No point questioning my whims and fancies (looks around sheepishly)  
> Is there something you'd want to happen?  
> Ps. I have an SI/OC in the Narutoverse going on the side called Madness Rides on Moonlight; I write it for fun and when I am out of inspiration for Fernweh. It is slightly crack-ish? Mellow humour? A little PG Wodehouse? heh. Regardless, it is on the backburner, while I concentrate here.  
> Anywho, without further ado; (Draws the big red curtains open)

**Chapter 6: Anticipation**

> _As the gull hovers motionless  
>  Against headstrong winds  
>  Marking time  
>  So do I hang poised  
>  Ready for fateful wind flight  
>  Into a sea of mystery  
>  -Lynn Freimann_

Water dripped from the ceiling in slow, discontinuous patterns and a fire roared between them. It wasn’t even half past noon but the cave was cool and the embers of the flames cast an eerie light on their faces. _What has my life come to?_  
He pondered over his predicament. Emotions did not rule him. Cold, hard truths. Rational thoughts.. Yes, logistics and numbers. Just thinking about it made him breathe a little easier. These made sense to him. Though, now that he thought about it, rage was familiar. Even when he was little, rage was an emotion that would smolder through him in an inferno, hot and burning when he felt slighted. It would never last though. How could it? When he would dole out punishment swift and with impunity? His rage would be tempered easily when his ego was satisfied.  
As he grew older, these episodes grew scarce. Control was paramount. Control was sacred. After all, what was the point in cutting down an opponent if it did not benefit him in the long run? Each move had to be precise and calculated.  
Tom shrugged to himself and stared morosely into the fire. Ever since he arrived here it had been one thing after another. It kept him on his toes. Was it this place, did it destabilize him? No, it had had to be more than that. What was he, if a few words from a couple of strange men shook him so thoroughly? A few measly words and he lost control? His jaw clenched. No, it was more than that. It had to be.  
Never let it be said that Tom Riddle couldn’t look at the situation objectively. He wasn’t sure, couldn’t identify what this _feeling_ was, but he was certain that it had to go. This kind of weakness could not be tolerated. He would have to work hard to catch up to these men.It was a first no doubt, everything came so damn easily to him. He bit his cheek, feeling annoyed. He would get there, and surpass them, no matter what it took. He strengthened his resolve.  
Tom shook his head, distracted and emerged out of his fugue. It felt like he was coming out of water; his vision cleared and he could hear clearly. He looked over to the men muttering over a map in front of them. The children were playing on the other side of the fire.

“Do you need help?” he asked, a little embarrassed by his temper tantrum earlier. This was the first time he had spoken after that mortifying episode. He made sure to look unfazed when they stopped abruptly to look at him. The man with the shock of silver hair gave him a patronizing smirk.

“Don’t worry your pretty little head about it, kid. We’re on top of it..”

Tom carefully bit his cheek so it bled a little. He wasn’t deluded enough to presume he knew much at all, this wasn’t his turf. Added to the fact he didn’t know their skill-sets or anything about ninja combat in general.. it wasn’t completely ridiculous to keep information from him. He was an unknown, he would do the same. Somehow, that didn’t make him feel much better. He scanned the overcrowded cave to take in their expressions, to try and find out their team dynamics.

“Would you at least like to know what I’ve learnt?”

This time it was Orochimaru who looked amused. “Yes, why not”

Tom took a deep breath. “Eight to ten men in town at any point of point of time.” He recalled, haltingly. “Five more to the west, along the perimeter, not counting your clone. Three to the north.”

“Aa, we know” Orochimaru smiled indulgently. _No, just pat my head why don’t you, for a job well done,_ Tom thought sarcastically.

“The Shinobi Ao-“ he continued, unperturbed.

“Ah yes, the man you were fraternizing with, you might do well in the seduction corps” Orochimaru said thoughtfully as Jiraiya choked on his spit. Tom refused to deign this with a response and continued in a monotone.

“It has come to my attention that there might be disagreement within their ranks. “

At this Jiraiya’s gaze sharpened, but before he could question him further, Orochimaru stopped him with a wave of his hand. “We will talk about this later. We will head out in an hour” He said to his comrades, rolling up the map. “I’d like to be done with this tonight, the Chunin arrive at dawn and we must be ready for them.”

Sakumo and Jiraiya nodded and they went back to their muttering. Should he eavesdrop? This was… frustrating. Yes, that was the word. _Frustrating._ Tom had never been one to take orders . _Look_ _at me rolling over like a pup for a belly rub._ He would like to say it’s because they don’t trust him, but it’s really far more insulting than that. _Tom Riddle, the wallflower._ He sighed.

Eventually the nin left, leaving him to be a glorified baby sitter. They pulled the Kaguya kid with them. What the child could possibly do, he did not know. The remaining two children bundled up close to him, seeking warmth.

“Ne, ne, Voldemo-niisan”

Tom stilled minutely and turned towards Mei. _Niisan? Brother?? The poor child’s barmy._ He swallowed his emotions so that he would not exhibit any of his discomfort and nodded once. Best keep this professional.

“Terumi-chan?”

“Is it true that we are going to the Fire country? We have never left Mizu before. What do you think it’s like?” She quivered with excitement.

Zabuza seemed precocious and a little wary with his behavior. Good. He seemed cautious even. But why?

“I suppose there’s going to be a lot of trees…”

“Trees!” Terumi’s eyes lit up in wonder, making Tom shake his head. _Children.. so easily satisfied._ He rethought that statement almost immediately. _Not me though. Never me._

“Well, I also presume it will be warmer than it is here, since it’s inland. We’ll have to explore together.”

“Oh yes!”

It was at that moment the earth shuddered violently under his feet.

Zabuza looked at him wide eyed.

“Voldemo-san” he said. “You think we should get out of here? I know they asked us to stay here and remain unseen but..” he trailed off.

Tom snorted. “No, Zabuza-kun, I have no intention of being buried alive either on the off chance that the ceiling does collapse on us.” He paused. “Let’s go to the forest and keep a watch from there.”

The earth rumbled one more time as they stumbled out of the cave, a rock fell in the place where Tom had stood and he could feel his heart in his throat. “Come” Tom ordered, feeling a little naked without the secrecy of his wards around him.  
He took off at a brisk pace, leading them to the clearing from earlier that morning, the scorched earth acting as a clear marker in memory of his fiendfyre. Tom scowled at it as he looked towards his charges, he needed to control his temper.

“If I leave you here, will you climb that tree and stay silent until I come back?”

The tree didn’t really give them much cover but it was better than nothing. Zabuza nodded, but Tom looked at them skeptically. Sighing, he used his wand to cast a disillusionment charm.

“Whoa” Mei breathed. “We disappeared..”

“It won’t last” Tom warned them. “Go up there and settle down and remember to be silent”

“Hai, Voldemo-san” They chorused and he heard them run away.

He cast another disillusionment charm on himself and made his way to a spot on the cliff that he knew would give him a good view of the town, if not most of the island. So, he began his slow and arduous climb to the top. He caught sight of the village and he breath hitched. There were bodies scattered in the streets, lit only by the moon. Tom Riddle was no stranger to death. He had lived through the London bombings, caused a death himself, even if it was by accident. Bodies littered through a ghost town shouldn’t shake him, but it did. It wasn’t the bloodiness or gore that spooked him, it was the sheer efficiency of these ninja. The fact that the men and women of these village didn’t hear a sound, didn’t stir while a battle raged- _no, this was outright assassination_ , Tom thought, looking at the bloodbath critically. An emotion ran through Tom like electricity and it took him a moment to place it. _Excitement._

The three men he was with… he hadn’t seen them seriously duel but, they were very dangerous. They had also promised to teach him. He imagined having this level of power. He imagined controlling men of this pedigree. Tom smirked and returned to his journey to the cliff. No doubt, the streets would be clear by morning; the Mizu nin replaced by the Konoha nin, overnight. A change in power, without the carnage and the subsequent panic of the citizens? Tom felt giddy and for a moment he wondered about the man who held such power. Did he think of himself as a God? He must. After all, he sent three men with the power to match two dozens. Tom stopped in his tracks as deliberated the intelligence of striking a deal with this person. Did he sell his soul to the devil? 

He reached the cliff huffing and panting, irritated by his weakness and scaled a tree. There was a fire to the east; it was almost immediately doused in water, a wave roaring from the surrounding sea. His eyes scanned the horizon and spotted a skirmish in the west; the sound of blades engaging, the reflection of the moonlight glinting off of steel. Tom hesitated. He wanted to see the fight but didn’t trust his instincts if he got caught in the crossfire. He didn’t trust his speed if he wanted to make a hasty retreat. He cursed under his breath.

He was about to scale down the tree when he caught sight of… something at the edge of town. He quickly cast a noise cancelling spell on himself and waiting for whatever it was to reach him. It did seem to be moving towards him. He squinted.

There was a rush of sound, the sound of metal clashing. Fire, and wind like a storm. He shut his eyes to protect his eyes from the gale, it wasn’t like he could see anything. _And I thought, I would go to see a fight._ They moved at unimaginable speeds, frantic blurs and he couldn’t begin to track them. It was… daunting. Tom frowned. _A spell… I need a spell to compute this information. Transpicio? No.. Pervideo?_ Tom closed his eyes his mind racing and made a split decision to enter his mind space. For a man of his caliber it was exactly as immaculate as it should be. A fire roared under the mantle and a plush armchair stood adjacent to it over a rug. He moved to the surrounding library picking and discarding books with a wave of his hand. He rifled the numerous books he read in his mind. _I could simply will it. Though, I do not wish to experiment on myself._ He sighed and resigned himself to not knowing and pulled out of his head while simultaneously curling into a ball to protect himself from the elements. He waiting with bated breaths and began counting.

254… 255.. 256..

The storm stopped. Tom cautiously raised his head from his hiding spot. It felt like eons. It was barely five minutes. There was a little crater in front of him and in the center of it..

Tom’s mouth went dry as he observed Orochimaru standing over another man. He knelt down on one knee taking support of the Kusanagi, to check his pulse. Even Tom knew he was dead, but he appreciated the man being thorough about his job. He slit the corpse’s throat anyway.

Tom watched as Orochimaru produced a scroll from his robes and the corpse and his sword vanished into it. The familiarity of the sword niggled at the back of his head. He frowned at Orochimaru when the man looked directly at him. Tom stilled.

_Impossible._

He had cancelled both sound and vision. How-

_Oh. That’s right. They can sense chakra. I need to learn to mask that._

He was just about to reveal his presence, but jerked himself to a halt as a small explosion sounded in the distance, followed by the sound of birds fleeing.

“Fools” Orochimaru spat and vanished.

Tom exhaled explosively. _Well, that’s that._ Shaking his head, he made his way to return to the children he had left behind. No doubt, even he would have been infuriated by the failure of this stealth mission.

He slowly wandered back into the forest just as dawn broke over the canopy. He stifled a yawn and cancelled the spells that obscured him. _T_ _he midgets are probably worrying their pants off,_ Tom snorted. _Best reveal myself to them so they can come to me._

But they didn’t. Tom reached the clearing with the scorch mark and surveyed the area in confusion. _Those impudent brats, I told them to stay-_

There was a gust of wind and the feeling of steel against his neck. _They say hindsight is 20/20._ Tom bit out a groan.

“Well, well.. Remari Masuko, was it?” a familiar voice said in his ear.

“Ao?” he ventured.

“Aa”

“The kids?”

He was forced to face a tree and both the children bound and gagged in front of it. They looked at him in horror.

“What do you want?” Tom asked him with a sigh, kicking himself for leaving them alone.

“Information. Who are you and what are Konoha Shinobi doing on wave?”

Tom relaxed. “Will you let us go if I tell you?”

“I might.”

“How do I know you won’t kill us?”

“You don’t”

_Just keep talking. Just keep the blue haired idiot talking._

“I am Voldemo. I am.. not from here.”

“Yes, so the kids have told me.”

“Then why did you ask?”

Ao looked at him funny. “To verify” He tightened his grip. “Enough of this, where are you from?”

Tom stilled. This interrogation was bordering dangerous territory. He doubted he could freely tell anyone of his dimension jumps (and he was almost certain it was a dimension jump, because no one from his world knew of the elemental nations) without becoming a permanent lab experiment.

“You don’t need to know..”

“On the contrary..” The blade dug into his skin cutting it. “I’m sure you will find reason to tell me.”

Tom thought quickly. He wouldn’t give this information freely, if only he had something else to bargain with. Tom relaxed his tense muscles under the blade.

“Mah.. you won’t kill us”

“Oh? Won’t I?” Ao sounded amused behind him. He dug the blade in deeper.

“No you won’t because I can give you something else.”

“Hmm.. Are you going to tell me Konoha’s plans?”

“No.”

“No?” Tom gathered his magic, preparing himself to apparate out of the man’s hold. Ao stopped.

“Whatever you’re going to do I suggest to stop it, if you value your life” Ao said gruffly, catching his hands at rapid speed and pushing them at an angle that _hurt._

Tom subdued his magic. _Stupid. Stupid!_ Had he already forgotten they were faster?

Tom forced himself to speak calmly. “You won’t kill us because I have something you want. And I will let you take it and leave without protest, before the Konoha nin return.”

“And what could you possibly have that would interest me?” Came Ao’s sarcastic voice.

Tom looked towards the children. “Them..”

“Why would I want mere chil-“

“I suggest you evaluate what I am offering before you decline it.” Tom stated matter of factly.

Mei and Zabuza stared at him in various degrees of betrayal. 

“The girl has Lava and Steam release” Tom spoke.

“What?” Ao gasped, his grip going slack.

“The boy..” He wasn’t sure what he could say about Zabuza but a malevolent aura was thick and heavy in the air. Zabuza-kun was _very_ angry at him, the glint in his eyes spoke murder.

“Interesting” Ao breathed.

“You said you want to keep children safe from the war.”

“That I did” Ao said thoughtfully. “They are Mizu’s”

It wasn’t a question and Tom didn’t bother responding.

“Is this a deal? Take them and leave.”

Ao looked at him consideringly. “Yes, I suppose it is.”

Before he could say much else a sharp force hit his head and he saw no more.  
  


“Voldemo-san… Voldemo-san?” a voice sounded from far away.

Tom opened his eyes blearily. The blurry figures of the Konoha nin stood over him. He blinked.

“What happened?” he asked, sitting up.

“Our forces have taken over wave, it’s early morning. We will leave after an announcement is made to the villagers.” Sakumo said.

“Huh” Tom responded unintelligently.

“So why are you on the forest floor? Where are the children, Voldemo?” Orochimaru asked him. Jiraiya stood a little further back with the Kaguya child, scrutinizing him.

“Ah.. that” Tom looked down. “The man from yesterday… Ao… he took them”

“Took them?” Jiraiya repeated.

“Yeah, knocked me out when I did not give any information and left with the children.”

“Tch” Orochimaru spat. “You let him lure you out of the cave? You had one job! Stay and protect the children, how-“

“It’s okay, Orochimaru –kun” Sakumo said, looking at Tom with pity in his eyes. “At least Voldemo-kun’s alive…” he trailed off awkwardly.

Orochimaru merely grunted in disdain. Tom didn’t mind. He thought it went very well, all things considered. Jiraiaya was quietly judging him but Tom shrugged it off, it wasn’t like he knew anything.

“Lost two assets in one go” Orochimaru was muttering.

An hour later when it was time to go, it was Jiraiya who knelt in front of him on one knee. “Come”

Tom looked at him puzzled. “What do you want me to do?”

“Climb onto my back, pretty boy” Jiraiya smiled lecherously.

“No, thank you” Tom said politely. “I’m capable of walking on my own.”

Jiraiya scowled at him exasperatedly. “Ninja travel faster, Voldemo-san. We will also get out of this island by running over the water. This, you can not do. So stop fussing, and get on.”

Tom climbed his back mutely with a stubborn clench of his jaw, embarrassed beyond belief.

 _Run over water?! What were they- Ah._ Tom stared in awe as these men ran over water then through the trees. He watched in shock as the countryside blurred past him. _This was what I am going to learn! This is how fast I am going to get!_ Tom thought giddily and for a moment, he was content.


	7. Irusu

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Harry Potter  
> Beta: Devoid Black, Linux-Ginny  
> Trigger warning: Torture.  
> A/N: Not overly dark, IMO. But if you are not in the frame of mind/ triggered by this, you might want to skip onto the next chapter (I will give a brief summary of this chapter in the next one)

**Chapter 7: Irusu**

_Irusu (Japanese) (n): pretending to be out when someone knocks at your door_

> _‘Overcome the waves,  
>  go through every storm you face,  
>  armed with grit and grace.’  
>  -R.C. Man-on_

There was a coarse and grey brick wall not even two feet away from him, the expanse of it as drab and mundane as the rest of the room, with a patch of green outgrowth that contaminated the corner. _Eight hundred and sixty-four._ Tom groaned, holding his temples in agony as he tried to stave off the intense headache he was being subjected to. _How did he get here?  
_Tom reflected on the past week with a grimace. He dipped into his mindscape to make sure he did not miss anything. _Right. It began innocently enough._

* * *

Jiraiya had allowed Tom to piggy-back on him for the entire journey. It was exactly as tedious and uncomfortable as it sounded, not to mention mortifying and absolutely humiliating. Even the Kaguya child kept pace with the Shinobi without losing sweat and there he was… being carried like a child. The pace was demanding and if it were anyone else, he would wonder why they were complaining.It was not like he actually did anything. But sitting in an odd position for days on end caused his muscles to cramp and eventually atrophy, and the nutrition bar he was given tasted worse than dirt. He longed for a hot meal and a long shower. No doubt if he were given autonomy, the journey would have taken a couple of weeks or more.

Before he knew it, they had arrived at large red gates after bounding on top of the tangled branches of huge trees.

“I’ll sign in for us and catch up in a minute,” Sakumo spoke, scrawling something at the guard’s desk. Tom was given mere seconds to take in the lively village of people and a cliff with faces carved into it in the distance before he was whisked away, yet again in a blur, to be deposited unceremoniously in an official looking rectangular room lined with windows to overlook the village. _Aren’t those windows a security issue?_ He stumbled like a fawn to get his footing, the circulation in his legs completely cut off by then. He looked up cautiously.

The four of them stood at the desk of an older man who was in a red and white triangular hat that had cloth covering his head on three sides. He looked to be around 40, maybe more, maybe less; the beginnings of worry lines and liver warts lined his face. Behind him stood a tan man with a spiky ponytail and he looked like… a spiky tropical fruit, the name of which escaped him _. Pineapple? Oh yes! Pineapples_. He looked at the man dazedly, but he did not look at the man long for he was not allowed to. His attention was drawn to the man behind the desk in white robes.

“Welcome… To the Village Hidden in the Leaves, Kaguya-san..Voldemo-san…,” The man, who could only be the Hokage, spoke slowly. His entire mien screamed of power and wisdom and a small voice in his lizard brain grappled to get an even footing.

Tom and Kimimaro stepped forward slightly so that Jiraiya and Orochimaru stood behind them and bowed. “Thank you for taking care of us.”

The man in question gave them a piercing look and the weight of his chakra was heavy in the room. It did not seem like a danger, more of a warning, and his hind brain begged him to _submit. Submit. Submit!_

Tom locked his knees in place and stood tall.

“You understand,” The Hokage said casually, as he meticulously began filling tobacco into a pipe. “that this is my village.While we invite refugees and assets to come and reside here with open arms, we definitely aren’t stupid about it. Tell me Voldemo-san, why did you accept the invitation?”

It occurred to Tom that this man was probably the most dangerous he had met yet; a ruler looking after his subjects, and he would not be given any quarter if it turned out he was a threat. A reckless sort of abandon took over him when he realized he could only play along. _Should have followed Herpo’s teaching when I could._

“May I?” Tom asked, gesturing at the pipe and the Shinobi in the room tensed. The Hokage’s eyes shuttered as he gave Tom an assessing look. He nodded, head barely moving. Then under the scrutiny of all the ninja present, he waved his hand and a tiny fire burned the tobacco in the pipe.

“Incredible,” the Hokage muttered and took a long and deep drag, pinning Tom with his gaze. He breathed out a plume of smoke leisurely and the pressure mounted.

“You know what’s going to happen next, don’t you?”

“Of course,” Tom gave his most charming smile. “It is what I would do in your place.”

There was a tiny quirk of his lips before he turned grave. “Take them!” he ordered.

* * *

_Eight hundred and sixty-four..._

That was the number of bricks on the wall in front of him. It had been a week since he had been thrown into a drab but surprisingly well-maintained prison. They had taken his wand, of course. He had prepared himself for torture; and even though he had not faced it before, he was comforted with the fact that he could retreat to his mind cave when it happened. Instead, and (he would be honest) to his utter amazement, he was subjected to legilimency. Mind walking, they called it.

Every day, a blonde man with a high ponytail would subject him to hours of legilimency. He did not know how long those sessions lasted, he had not seen the light of day in a week and in here, time was a construct. Fortunately, Tom was an excellent occlumence, because of which not a single thought slipped through his barriers. He likened his defense to a fort like that of Hogwarts, and without prior knowledge, no one could transverse it. Unfortunately for him, he could not make up false memories to fool his interrogator either. In any other scenario, he would have overlaid his loosest defense with benign memories so that they would consider him harmless and stop the probe. In this case, however… He had reached Japan in the midst of the war. Tom had little to no information on their schooling systems or their everyday lives. If his memories were leaked, they would gain the knowledge that far, far away did not even _begin_ to encompass just how far away his homeland was.

So, there he was, pushing the heel of his palm into his eyes to stave off the pounding migraine he had been having since the past three days.

The door to his prison clanged open and Tom squinted into the light streaming in.

“Come.”

He got up and followed his guard down to the same room he would always go to. Five doors to the right, two lefts, one right, eighth door to the left. This was routine, then.

“Good Morning, Voldemo san.” Blondie attached his magic suppressing shackles to the metal desk between them. “How are you today?”

Tom glared at him, balefully. The man knew well of the pain behind his eyes… after all, he was the one who caused it. _Always with the small talk,_ but he could not complain; the more the small talk, the less the mindwalking.

Blondie chuckled. “Now, now, no need to give me that that look. You could just show me what you are hiding instead, that would make things easier, wouldn’t it?”

It would. It really would. It was a miracle that they had not progressed to physical torture yet. He did not _want_ to show Blondie his thoughts. He jealously guarded his mind and any advantage he had.

“You know you’ll have to show me something,” the man sighed. “We need to be able to trust you.”

“Mind-raping me doesn’t exactly embody trust, Shinobi-san,” Tom sneered.

“No, it does not,” Blondie grimaced. Tom almost laughed aloud at his naivety. He subjected his followers to routine legilimency, after all. Just because he understood it, did not mean he had to like it. _I would kill for a hot shower right now._

“All right,”Blondie said exasperatedly. “Let’s begin.”

Alarms blared at the intrusion in his head, gongs churning like a church bells. Blondie had aborted his subtle maneuvering and was attacking his mindscape brutally and with zero finesse. Tom laughed as tears ran down his face.

In the end, he did not know if it was the tiredness, the pain in his head or stress that did it.

_Boxes piled on boxes in a musty and cramped store. A ray of light from a high window illuminates him in a perfect spotlight. A tape flutters enthusiastically around him, as the does the mousy, pale eyed man behind the counter…_

_“Oh no. I don’t think. but no, you must at least try… give it a wave… 13½" long, crafted from yew, and affixed with a phoenix feather core… try it Mr. Riddle” He pushes it at him with renewed excitement. The 2 dozen discarded boxes in front of them suggests they have been doing this for a while now._

_Tom’s hand moves on it’s on accord, inching towards a beautifully carved white stick like he was being called by the sirens. He picks the wand with an eager anticipation and waves it gingerly._

_An odd combination of playful black and green smoke swirls around him and he breaths in sharply, eyes shone bright, completely unaccustomed to what he is feeling. It is like being reconnected to a broken limb, like the stars in the night, like Mr. Snake terrifying the children._

**_Euphoria._ **

_The man behind the desk begins to clap ecstatically, “Oh bravo, Mr. Riddle! Bravo!”_

Memories swirled around him, chaotic and disturbed. Tom pushed at the intrusion. ‘No more!’

It was in vain.

_A classroom, a diminutive professor standing on top of a pile of books._

_“Now children, begin practicing!”_

_A flurry of wand movements aimed towards a stack of pillows in the distance._

_“Accio Purple Pillow!”_

_Tom executes the spell flawlessly. Nott however, has no such luck._

_“Ack!” he yells as a cup from the desk hits his face, the Slytherins around him snicker at his misfortune._

_“Oh dear! Would you like to go to the infirmary Mr. Nott,” Professor Flitwick flutters around him, worriedly. Tom decides to graciously step in._

_“I’ve got it Professor Flitwick” Tom says genially. “Doesn’t look like he hurt himself too bad…Episkey” he intones and Nott’s nose cracks back into place making him yelp. “There you go Nott!” Tom says with a smirk and his classmates break into another fit of giggles._

The memory swirled yet again, million others flying past, just out of reach.

“STOP!” Tom yelled. All the memories stopped, and Tom could vaguely see Blondie’s outline, searching. Always searching. His presence felt almost physical in his mindscape.

“Get. Out.” He gritted. Blondie was thrown out of his head panting in his chair.

“Well, that went better than I thought it would,” Blondie mused. “What is that language?”

Tom froze. Ice crept in his veins and he felt utterly stupid at losing control like that.

“No?” Blondie asked, amused. “No worries, this is more progress than we had all week. In fact, you can have the day off, for a job well done.”

Tom almost growled. There was no way in hell he would let this man go without a fight. He had not tried to escape from his cuffs up until this point. He quickly surfed through his options. A wandless and wordless _Alohomora,_ and Blondie was none the wiser.

He looked at the man and waved his hand casting the most powerful _confundus_ he could.

He watched as Blondie tripped over his feet and silently reattached his cuffs.

Blondie walked to the door “Take him back,” he ordered the guard standing outside, and so Tom ambled back slowly to cell. He gave a small mental sigh of relief. He did not know what made him break like that, but he did suspect some sort of foul play. He was eternally thankful his little gamble paid off. At this point, it was simply a waiting game… If he could gather the patience to wait this out, then the payoff was immense. He could not let the Shinobi break him and gather information. They would have to let him go at some point, and then. Then he would strike a bargain that would suit him. Tom smiled, satisfied, though his head pounded worse than ever. He would sleep now, and tomorrow would be a new day.

* * *

When he woke the next day, he had an odd premonition. _Which made no sense since things were definitely looking up now._ A quick clean and dry meal later and he was back to counting the bricks on the wall. He scratched the scruff growing on his face. _How soon would they crack? Not much longer_ , Tom presumed. _Things were going nicely_.

When the guard arrived to fetch him, he went along amicably enough, going as far to smile at him.

It was only when he started walking a path different from what he was used to, that he began to feel uneasy.

“Shinobi-san,” he called. “Where are we going?”

Of course, the idiot would not answer.

It was 10 minutes and two floors later that he arrived in another metal room with some amount of trepidation. He sat there with shackles on the desk in front of him facing what looked to be a two-way mirror, thinking hard.

Before he could come to anything conclusive, the door opened, and Blondie walked in with a frown on his face.

“Ah, Voldemo-san,” He said stonily, crossing his arms over his chest. “I must say you’ve disappointed me. For quite a while I believed you would be willing to cooperate, even if you were unwilling to share information. Your stunt yesterday however, changes things. Yuhei!” He called out and another bulky man walked in setting down a package in front of him.

Tom on looked expressionlessly, even as his thoughts raced.

“How did you know?” He asked finally, mostly out of curiosity.

“We Shinobi are a paranoid bunch, Voldemo-san,” Blondie’s mouth tightened into a humorless smile. “It’s best you remember that. It is rare that a person is permitted to learn from this lesson. All mindwalks are followed with one to the investigator, to make sure he is not compromised.” Blondie shrugged. “You’re just out of luck.”

 _That was quite smart_ , Tom mused. Paranoia was definitely good for one’s mortality and this was not a lesson he would forget anytime soon. The man, Yuhei, began unrolling his equipment.

“Well that’s that then. I’ll leave you in Yuhei’s capable hands now.” Blondie hesitated at the door. “For your own sake I hope you tell us what you know. The Hokage does want an amicable relationship with you. We only want to ascertain your loyalty and threat level.”

Tom scoffed. He would take what they dished out without any complaints. He made an error, and this was the price. He eyed the sharp equipment in the cloth and Yuhei gave him a chilling smile.

“Hmm… it’s been a while since I had something new to play with,” the man said guilelessly. His voice was a soft, ever modulated to a perfect pitch, ready to coax and cajole truths out of him. “Let us start with basics, shall we? Name, Age, Rank and Loyalty. In that order.”

Tom stared at him for a moment before he sighed tiredly.

“Tom Marvolo Riddle, 16 years, Student, No loyalty.”

Yuhei paused. “Tor mi valo what?”

“Tom Marvolo Riddle or Tom Riddle Jr is my name.”

“Why did you say Voldemo then?”

“Because that’s what I’m called.”

“Why?” he asked curiously, head tilting to the side like a bird.

“My reasons are my own. Also, because the natives here can pronounce it without any difficulty.”

Yuhei gave him a once over. “You are telling the truth.”

“I have no reason to lie.” Tom shrugged.

“Hmm. Is that so? Why are you keeping secrets then?”

Tom was not sure why they had not asked these questions before, when he could have simply answered them.

“Knowledge is Power. I have no intent to harm your village.”

“So you say.” Came the whisper, he gently strapped his hands on the handles. “Are you comfortable?”

Tom looked at him incredulously. “Hmm. you don’t need to see now do you, young Voldemo-san.” He was blindfolded and the feeling of cold metal trailed goosebumps on his arms.

* * *

A jerk to his scalp and slap to his face so that he was baring his neck.

“I’ll ask you one more time, where are you from? What are your loyalties?”

His throat was felt hoarse and he did not know if he could speak up even if he wanted to. He had tried to retreat to his mindscape, but Yehei had not liked that. He decided to take his time pulling out his fingernails in retaliation.

“Come now Voldemo-chan, I can call you that, can’t I? It feels like we are so much closer now! Tell me. where are you from?”

He let out a pitiful whine. “Aw. Voldemo… don’t be like that, I know you can do better that. You’re such a good boy. Where are you from?” Sudden anger took over his interrogator and he smacked his head, so it slapped the back of his metal chair in rebound. Tom groaned.

“If this is how it’s going to be…yes. Very well then.”

* * *

Tom gurgled, unable to breathe, his lungs burning and begging for oxygen. “This. This is how I’m going to die” he thought in disbelief. He was losing unconsciousness; black covered the corners of his eyes and he gulped water accidentally. At the last possible second, he was removed, and he spat out water to take in quick panicked breaths. His chest _hurt._

“Where. Are. You. From?”

He was still taking in fast breaths, his heartbeat in his throat. When he got out of here. It was not an if. When. When he got out of here, he was going to make this man’s death feel like a gift from hell. Yuhei was a dead man, he just did not know it yet.

“I’m not asking again, Voldemooo. I am losing patience now. Come now buddy, it is not such a big deal is it? You can tell me where you are from. It will be our little secret! No? NO?”

Tom let out a little peal of laughter as terror washed over him.

* * *

They watched in muted silence.

“What do you think?”

“Any time now.”

“Perhaps…” the initial voice spoke, hesitatingly. “Perhaps I could simply _speak_ to him-”

He stopped at the judgmental glare he received, and pursed his lips.

The stifling silence was rent by an ear shattering scream. He slowly ambled to the door but stopped once before leaving.

“He is hiding something. Do not underestimate him.”

A sigh echoed in the hollow antechamber. “Yes, I know.”

The man gave a sharp nod and left him to his thoughts.

* * *

He had lost control over his muscles a while ago. A shock of lightening raced through his body and he spasmed, unable to control himself. He lost control of his bladder.

“How about now,Voldemo-chan? How about now? TALK for Kami’s sake. Don’t sit there like a mute idiot!”

He spasmed once more. The smell of charred flesh was still in the air.

Tom had had enough. He had a thought. _A futile thought_. He had thought if he would just sustain, just be patient enough to get out of this miserable little hell hole, that eventually they would have to give in and cut a deal. Either they planned to keep him here indefinitely or Shinobi had a high constitution to withstand this.

“SPEAK!” yelled Yuhei.

Tom raised his head for the first time in days.

“I’ll only speak to the Hokage.”

“What did you say?” Came a dangerous voice.

“I’ll only speak to the Hokage.” He rasped.

“And you think... he’s just sitting around waiting to talk to you, do you?” Yuhei sneered.

Tom did not respond. Yuhei did not say anything for a moment or two but left, the door swinging shut with a bang behind him. Tom let out an audible sigh of relief and quickly went back to trying to enter his mindscape. With the last four days safely under lock and key for now, he did not have the strength to deal with it presently. He needed to remain alert for the upcoming conversation. He shifted through his memories rapidly, looking for clues, discarding reactions.

A guard stepped into the room. “Come.” He stood to follow but his knees buckled under him and he collapsed with a thud.

“Could you remove my blindfold, Shinobi-san?” he asked politely.

“tch”

The guard half carried, half dragged him to a bath and dumped him in. “Quickly"

Tom took his time cleaning his skin –scraping, brushing, erasing- of grime, blood, sweat and other liquids he did not want to think about. He took as long as he possibly could, in the unforgivably cold water, before he was forced into generic grey robes.

They dragged him to his cell and threw him on the bed. He was out within seconds.

* * *

_He wakes up to choking on something that tasted like a soup.There is someone trying to feed him_

_He gags on it, unable to comprehend solid food. “Water,” he croaks out drinking it quickly._

_“Slow down…” someone said… before he fades out._

* * *

_‘What an idiot…’_

_‘stronger than we thought…?’_

_‘….lasted too damn long…’_

_‘…. didn’t even break’_

_Tom pries his eyes open in muted disbelief. He turns his head...looking for him and almost blacks out because of the dizziness in his head._

_He cannot see find Yuhei. He’s gone? Tom wonders in disbelief._

_Rage churns in his gut._

_Someone throws a bowl of soup in his cell._

* * *

_The next time he comes to, his head feels clearer and he can think straight. He ponders about his predicament. Tom stares at the blank bricks on the wall of his cell, fingers fluttering in habit._

_He could work with this._

_He would work with this._

_He carefully locks his memories of his time with Yuhei in a box labeled ‘DO NOT TOUCH’, and then pushes that box behind an innocuous looking door in his mind._

* * *

_Has it been hours? Days? They’ve miscalculated._

_The door banged open. “Eat up” It is broth this time._

_“The Hokage will see you tomorrow.”_

_Finally._

* * *

He was brought into the Hokage’s office sometime in the middle of day the next day.

He stood staring down at the seated man. Finally, the Hokage spoke.

“Voldemo-san… I’m told you wanted to speak to me?”

A slow cruel smile crept on Tom’s face. “Won’t you ask me to sit, Hokage-san?”

The Hokage stilled and so did the shadows behind him at the blatant disrespect.

“Yes, by all means… have a seat.” Tom walked a few steps forwards, hands still bound in chakra concealing chains and sat down regally, as if he owned the world.

“Hmm… is this how you normally treat potential allies?” Tom asked the Hokage, whose eyes were shuttered.

“It was for our safe-”

“Ah yes…” Tom interrupted thoughtfully. “Safety. A fascinating concept. I suggest you bring Blondie here, lose your guards and make sure we aren’t overheard.”

“You can’t just make demands-”

“You will find that I can, and I will. You see, you are under the rather unfortunate impression that I am here as a prisoner of your state and not by free will. I would like to correct that.” Tom smiled benevolently. “In addition, what I am going to divulge is rather dangerous and I would like to contain it as much as possible.”

The Hokage’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Owl.”

In a flash, a masked Shinobi with a blank mask with only lines to depict a bird of some kind- an owl presumably, knelt at the Hokage’s feet.

“Bring me Nara Yoroi and Yamanaka Inoki immediately.” The Shinobi disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

“I only asked for Blondie.”

“You will find that I have little patience for demands Voldemo-san.” The Hokage’s smile could cut steel. “Nevertheless, I find myself curious and willing to indulge your requests.”

“Ah.”

No words were spoken until the Shinobi arrived. “You called for us, Hokage-sama?”

“Aa, come sit, we have matters to discuss,” the Hokage spoke looking like he was, for all anyone could tell, describing the weather. He made quick motions with his hands. The shadows bristled.

“ANBU. Leave.” The Hokage spoke with authority and the shadows disappeared. _A Shinobi guard. Interesting._ The Hokage charged a piece of paper with his chakra and the room _hummed_ with secrecy.

“Talk.”

Tom gave Pineapple Head a glance, miffed at the lack of respect, but continued pleasantly.

“My name is Tom Marvolo Riddle, age16, ex-student of Hogwart’s School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, born in England of the United Kingdoms and Descendant of Lord Salazar Slytherin, himself.” He introduced himself with a flourish, executing a most theatrical bow.

The Hokage’s eye twitched. “And where exactly. is this eenglund?”

“Well, you see...” Tom fell back casually in his chair. “We have a war going on right now, you know… A world war. Of many countries and nations. And I dropped my education in search of knowledge since they could not offer me any useful information anymore. It is my passion; I adore exploring and learning about different cultures and how they execute and learn their magic. What constitutes their moral compass, why is it that they learn what they learn, how did they discover it...Oh, you know what I mean. I can tell you are a scholar yourself. Of course, we both are scholars with the ambition to put it into practical use.” Here he gave the Hokage a sharp look.

“Imagine my surprise when I was fiddling with the threads in an archaeological site, looking for a lost civilization when I was sucked into a completely different dimension.”

“What,” Inoki croaked.

“Oh yes, did you think I want to divulge this information willy-nilly? I was completely prepared to tell the Hokage this. I had just entered this world when Orochimaru-san had proposed an exchange of information, and I was prepared to swear loyalty to this village in particular because,” Tom shrugged. “You approached me first. Unfortunately, the Kiri Shinobi wanted to kill me instead of trying to strike a deal. You must understand... I am less than impressed by your hospitality.”

Tom could literally see Pineapple Head’s brain racing a mile a minute. The Hokage seemed taken aback. Oh, it did not show overtly, but Tom was sure he had not seen this coming.

“And? you are prepared to substantiate your claims?” the Hokage asked.

“Of course,” Tom nodded. “As long as Blondie here sticks to what I show him and nothing more. I truly despise the headaches.”

Inoki stood to face Tom with some trepidation, but charged forward fearlessly, cupping Tom’s temples between his hands. He opened his pale eyes, looking like he was in a trance.

Two minutes later, Inoki sat down pale and shaking.

“So?”

“He speaks the truth. The memories are authentic.” He jerked his head up. “Hokage-sama. Their civilians...”

“Yes, yes. the muggles are dangerous as well.You can tell him all about it later. I’m dying for a warm shower, and I want to finish this today.”

Inoki’s mouth snapped shut.

“What do you want?” asked Yoroi finally.

“I was just going to stick with the basics at first but after everything…” _Was that nervousness on their faces?_  
“Knowledge and Education. The power to explore this world. Any knowledge you have, to jump dimensions. The knowledge of my origins to stay between the three of us. And.” Tom paused. “Yuhei.”

“Yuhei?!” Inoki exclaimed.

“Well... not his head, his entire body. I do not suffer disrespect.”

“I’m afraid we can’t sacrifice our Shinobi like that,” the Hokage said.

“Hmm. we’ll see.”

“In return,” Yoroi Nara began, his eyes hard. “You will tell or show us the extent of your powers. Take on at least two apprentices in your lifetime from our village. Swear to be loyal to this village and its people by expending war effort and never attacking us. You will also take us with you to explore your world.”

“My, my,” Tom said coldly. “Ask for the moon why don’t you, Pineapple?”

The Hokage apparently was comfortable with letting the Nara negotiate since the Pineapple shrugged. “These are our terms.”

“I suppose then you could teach two young adults, if I got them here then,” Tom said thoughtfully. “You must swear to do my world no harm in return. I do not need you to swear loyalty to my world. I need you to swear loyalty to _me_. Also, there will be lessons in language and culture exchange so I can blend in your world and your people would blend in mine when there is an opportunity to dimension jump.” Tom twirled his fingers restlessly, wishing for the sleek feel of his yew between his fingers.“And Yuhei, how much does he know?”

“Nothing. He was only told to find out where you are from.”

“Is that right?” Tom stared into the village outside the window. “Does anyone else know?”

“No.”

“You will swear to that as well” Yoroi looked at him funny.

“Right. I’ll write up a contract-”

Tom let out a high cold laughter. “You think I’m going to trust the tenacity of a contract drawn up by _you_?”

“You have nothing to worry about,” the Hokage began. “We will make it an S-class secret and-“

“An Unbreakable Vow.”

“A what?” The Hokage said.

“You mean that is real?” Inoki said amazed. “Chakra based swearing that, if not followed, causes death? Doesn’t the witness require a wand as well?”

“I’m sure a blanket of chakra will work just as well,” said Tom. “I looked through the theory of it a week ago and it looks sound.”

Inoki looked at him calculatingly. “You have a very organized mind, Voldemo-san.”

“Yes.” Tom agreed and then turned around to face the Hokage.

“So Hokage-sama. do we have a deal?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first time I've written a torture sequence.. I'm (mildly) proud? Feel free to tell me what you think about it.  
> Also darkly amused about the chapter title.  
> ~Until next time!


	8. Along this Road

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Naruto  
> Beta: Devoid Black  
> A/N: Wow, thank you all for your support! It's my first major story so every kudos/bookmark/subscription/comment means the world to me and gives me incentive to write more. You guys are a fantastic audience!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Previously on Fernweh:**  
>  Jiraiya carries Tom on his back to Konoha where he is presented to the Hokage. Shinobi, being as paranoid as they are, do not trust Tom's intention and immediately throw him to Yamanaka Inoki's (Inoichi's father) tender mercies.  
> Tom is an excellent occlumence, so it surprises him when Inoki actually manages to break through his barriers after multiple attempts. Tom panics. He casts a confundus but is found out soon after.  
> The shinobi lose their trust and progress to physical torture to break Tom. Eventually, after days of not gaining anything, Tom requests to see the Hokage where they strike a deal (the most important components being: keeping his origins secret, his loyalty to Konoha and their loyalty to him.) under the Unbreakable Vow.  
> I also call the previous chapter: Where Tom regrows his balls.

**Chapter 8: Along this Road**

> _“Along this road  
>  Goes no one  
>  This autumn eve”  
>  -Basho_

Utatane Koharu’s back creaked as she ambled up the stairs slowly.

The halls of the Hokage tower were tortuous and confusing; the layout tantamount to a fortress, and that is not counting the sheer number of traps and seals placed in the building. Her breathing began to sound loud and labored when she reached the third floor.

 _Too loud_ , in her opinion. _But that was to be expected when the place was as quiet as a grave._

Silence pervaded her senses, the only sign of life being the ANBU hidden in the shadows. Koharu almost scoffed in derision. _Perhaps, it was time to step up their training again, it would not do to let their targets know that they are being watched_. She gazed impassively as they fidgeted. They knew better than to offer her assistance, no matter how decrepit she looked. She suppressed the smirk threatening to cover her face and strolled casually to the last door in the corridor.

Conference room Violet has always been one of their favourites. It had an antique low table, two thrones fit for kings and a plush, red chaise against the window. She made herself comfortable, her large bottom sagged into the chaise and waited about two minutes before Homura came in, looking all business.

“Oh Good. There you are! We need to-“

“Homura.” Poor codger stopped his panicking. “Settle down, we have time. Danzo and Hiruzen will arrive momentarily.”

Homura, gave her a look of disdain and settled down next to her. _You would think… after the number of times she had beat the crap out of him in their youth, he would give her some basic respect._ She would not hold her breath. With the sort of dignity that came from years of playing the political ground, she turned her head away and said, “Do not worry, Homura. Your concerns will be addressed.”

He did not bother stifling his scoff.

The Hokage entered a minute before the assigned time. Neither of them bothered getting up.

“Good afternoon” Hiruzen said amicably, settling down in the chair besides her. “I see you got my message”

She looked at him amusedly and greeted him back; he _did_ know how to push Homura’s buttons. Sure enough, the idiot was getting worked up besides her, ready to vent. Thankfully, Danzo walked in.

Koharu glanced at the clocked _. Right on time_. Cane clicked periodically against the stone floor and the man sat opposite to the Hokage. “Let us begin.”

Koharu’s eyes crinkled fondly at them, _Her boys and their little power plays. Some things just did not change._

To nobody’s surprise Homura reached a boiling point and burst out. “Hiruzen, it’s about time you called us! It’s been three weeks since the boy has been released! What have you been doing all this time, we would like to be kept up to date on these things. _Especially_ because there is quite a large possibility that he is a threat!”

Koharu watched Hiruzen stuff his pipe with tobacco and light it with some amount of detachment.

“Hiruzen” She cut out causing him looked up sharply. “Homura is not wrong. What is the situation like?”

The Hokage paused and let out a sigh of resignation.

“The child is an asset. More resourceful than we anticipated.” He scratched his beard thoughtfully. “He asks for assistance in education and exploration-“

“Such impudence!” Danzo barked. “He is a child! A child of unknown origins, what right does he have to make these demands?”

Koharu nodded. “I agree. What does he offer in return?”

Hiruzen looked at her and then to Danzo, in a way that… _Was he… disappointed with her?_ Koharu bristled. _The man was the Hokage; but they were his council. They were just as old and learned as he was! If he wanted a yes man, why should they exist at all?_

After a moment he responded. “He is… more powerful than most. More intelligent. He could be cultivated into our most reliable weapon yet.”

Homura looked impatient. “What will he give us in return??”

“The usual… Missions.. War effort. He will take on apprentices. His loyalty is to our village.” Hiruzen said and lit his pipe.

“And you are that certain, are you?” Danzo drawled, sarcasm pouring out of him in waves.

She agreed with Danzo. _How could he be so sure?_  
A slow, blood chilling smile took over Hiruzen’s face that stopped her in her tracks. A smile that reminded her why it was that this man was made Hokage.

“Have some faith, Danzo.” Danzo’s face was blank, but years of knowing him told her he too was startled. “Have some faith in your Hokage… a deal has been struck with the devil” The Hokage chortled with suppressed laughter. “But who is the devil, I wonder. Who is?”

Danzo stirred out of his shock and threw Hiruzen a look of disgust.

“He is an asset, yes.” Koharu said, frustrated. “But I still want him under control.”

Danzo jumped at the opportunity. “I will have two of my men tailing him.”

Hiruzen hummed, amused. “I already have him under surveillance, but if this makes you happy..”

“It would make us happy if you told us everything so our resources do not go to waste, Hiruzen!” Koharu snapped. “We are at war Hiruzen! Albeit, at the tail-end of one! But there will always be war... We want to be certain that he is not a threat-“

“Enough” The Hokage’s voice was quiet but chilling as it cut across the room. “I have told you more than I need to, but it is through _my_ discretion as Hokage, that the details of Subject 4994 are labeled as an S-rank secret. This meeting was called to inform you that the child is no longer a threat, but still kept under surveillance; and _not_ to appease your curiosity.”

His voice was sharp and unyielding and Koharu held her tongue.

“Like I said, you may keep a tail on him as well but it is unnecessary..”

She nodded once. “Is that all, Lord Hokage?”

He stared at her for a moment. “Yes, Koharu.. that is all”

She got up and began her long trek to the door, not looking to see if the rest of the council followed suit. “We shall convene at the next regular council meeting. And Hiruzen?”

“Yes?”

“Send the ANBU in this corridor to me tomorrow at 0800 hours. They need a lesson in stealth.”

Hiruzen chuckled as the shadows bristled in indignation. “Of course”

Her lip curved up minutely, and she nodded; leaving the boys to their tantrums.

* * *

They sat in a large but low cave taking shelter from the never-ending rain. Tsunade shivered, “Does this ever stop?” she muttered in frustration.

Ame was a cesspool of arctic winds, damp clothes, and fungus in everything edible. Years of war and deaths have drained her and all she wants is to cuddle with her little brother, Nawaki, and shelter him from this unforgiving world.  
_Just a little bit more.._ she thought. _This is the last bit. Sensei **promised**._

 _Just a little bit more.._ The rain falls in sheets, there is zero visibility and so, her chakra senses are wise open. Looking.. Searching..

 _Just a little bit more.._ they were doing this to protect everyone they loved, for Konoha. For Sensei.. For her team.. For Grandma Mito..

_For Nawaki._

There was a warmth over her shoulders and she was startled out of her thoughts.

“Penny for your thoughts, Hime?” Jiraiya patted her shoulder, over the jacket she was drowning in. His eyes were crinkled in warmth.

“Tch. It’s nothing important, pervert.” She played along, though she was oddly flustered by his attention.

“I’d say that I am plenty important!” He puffed up in self importance. Tsunade gaped at him for a second before she began pounding him into oblivion.

“I’m not thinking about you all the time, you moron!”

“Ah… no need to be shy, Hime. They say there are two things you can’t stop.”

_I don’t even want to know._

“War and True Love” He said with a smirk.

“Why You-“

“-I suppose one hour is too much time for you two to be silent” an exasperated voice sounded behind them. Both of them whipped around to face the newcomer.

“Oro!” Tsunade exclaimed. “I was just thinking about you!”

Jiraiya gasped and clutched his heart. “You wound me, Hime!”

“You were?” Orochimaru asked, curiously.

“Aa, I have heard from a little bird..” she began slyly. “that you brought yourself a man home”

Orochimaru’s cheeks instantly dusted pink. “-I beg your pardon?” he sputtered.

Tsunade squealed inwardly. He was _so_ cute! She won’t lie, she had a crush on the man when they were children and he ignored every girl that ever came on to him. _Perhaps girls aren’t what he wants,_ she smirked, looking at the effeminate looking man _. It didn’t matter. That this boy caught her Oro’s interest, only spurred her own._

“I want to meet him!” she declared.

“Hime!” Jiraiya objected, scandalized.

“It’s not like that!” Orochimaru said at the same time, taking in her visage in despair. A stubborn Senju was a dangerous one.

“I only find his jutsus interesting!” He tried one more time. Even Jiraiya paused at that.

“Is that what kids call it, these days??” Jiraiya asked, making Tsunade cackle.

A sudden spark of chakra crackled across the cave and everybody stilled, laughter forgotten.

A snake crawled in, in a hurry. Orochimaru was on his knee instantly to pick her up. “What is it?”

“He’s here. The salamander summoner! He’s here! Hurry!”

* * *

“Tou-san! Tou-san!” a little lump with silver hair waddled up to him in anguish. “Don go tou-san! Please!”

Sakumo picked up his tiny son and settled him in the crook of his elbow. “Kaka-chan, it’s only for a little while. Tou-san has some work to do, I’ll be back by lunch time. You won’t even know I’m gone!”

Kakashi pouted, his young face twisted in despair and guilt stirred in Sakumo’s stomach. _This war is a menace, I need to be spending more time with my son._ Kakashi didn’t wail or cry like other children, but it was made abundantly clear that his absence was hurting him. Sakumo sighed.

“Come Kakashi, it’s already 10 in the morning, stay with Aoba-San for just a little while and I’ll be back with eggplant soup, how does that sound?” His little monster grinned in delight and acquiesced to being passed on like a bag of potatoes to his caretaker.

Sakumo considered his son for a moment and made a split second decision.

_-Boar- -Dog- -Bird- -Monkey- -Ram- **Summoning Jutsu!**_

“Momo-chan!”, Kakashi squealed elated at the presence of his father’s partner Momo. Momo was a white hound with wolfish features and sharp canines. He stood tall at 50 pounds, towering over his son, who had escaped his guardian to clutch the fur on his flank. Aoba squeaked.

“Hullo, pup” Momo greeted him and Sakumo chuckled fondly.

“Momo, stay with chibi-chan for a couple of hours, would you? I’ll bring you some fresh meat from the butcher’s shop!” he enticed.

Momo sighed theatrically but gave in easily. Sakumo knew well he liked playing with the pup.

“Yes, yes.. hurry up…”

Sakumo gave a two fingered salute and vanished to the roofs and began bounding to his destination.

It had been about a month and a half since they had been back from that fateful mission in wave and three weeks ago the young man had been released. _Three whole weeks with T and I…_ Sakumo shuddered, not wishing that fate on anyone. An odd feeling stole its way into his chest and he pushed his feet to run faster. He would have gone and checked on young Voldemo-san earlier, he would have! But his pup had been waiting for him for far too long. He deserved some time with his father. Poor child was left to Aoba-san’s machinations in his absence. _Where are you then, Voldemo?_

Sakumo, was a tracker nin by profession. Five minutes later, he found himself in a tree, looking down at his target. Good humour filled his senses but he froze when he noticed the bags under Voldemo’s eyes. He dropped from the tree.

“Good Morning, Voldemo-san!”

The poor fellow jumped like a startled kitten to face him, stick pointing at his face. _Needs more work on his observational skill,_ Sakumo noted. He lifted his hands, palm-up, in the universal sign of surrender.

Voldemo slowly dropped his hand. “Oh.. it’s you..”

Sakumo studied him with an unnerving amount of intensity. “Walk with me, Voldemo-san”

The man in question looked at him curiously but complied.

“What did you want with me, Sakumo-san?”

“Well.. first.. I’d like to ask how you’re settling down here.”

Voldemo shrugged non-committedly. “It’s alright”

“And how’s your recovery?”

Voldemo stopped and slowly turned to face him, face carefully blank. “What is it that you want, Sakumo?”

“I’m merely concerned for your well being, sweetheart” Sakumo brought out his most rogue-ish grin, the one he knew his wife had fawned over. “I need to look after you for the next couple of months, after all..” he winked and a Voldemo’s cheek bones turned an attractive pink.

“I don’t need looking after!” he snapped. _Ah, that’s the spirit I was looking for. I was getting tired looking at a porcelain doll._ Sakumo smirked.

“Now, now.. I just mean that I will be teaching you for as long as Jiraiya is out of town on his mission. I will be looking after you and his team until then” _Of course, it helps that you have an ANBU captain’s protection close at hand too,_ Sakumo thought sardonically. He quickly let out his chakra, and found two other presences in the trees. _Overkill, don’t you think, Sandaime-sama?_ The man had always been cautious. But there was cautious and cautious to the point of paranoia..

“A team?” Voldemo said in obvious distaste.

“Voldemo-san, there is no such thing as a lone wolf-“

“Actually, there is-“

“Ah-ah.. and lone wolf is invariably culled from the pack, sweetheart. Here in Konoha, we work in teams, and play to our strengths.”

The disgust was wiped from his expression and quickly replaced by a poker face. _He really needs to work on that too,_ Sakumo thought in despair.

“So, when are we meeting them?”

“Now.”

Sakumo had walked them directly into training ground 7 without further ado.

“Children?!” Tom muttered in disdain when he looked at them. Sakumo smirked. _Poor child won’t know what hit him._


	9. First Steps

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Harry Potter  
> Beta: Linux-Ginny

**Chapter 9: First steps**

> _‘The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones’  
>  -Confucius_

Tom obediently made his way to the group of children they had saddled him with. When he said he wanted to learn, he did not expect to be so patronized.

_Who am I kidding, this is exactly the kind of passive aggressive baloney I would pull._

Almost a month of recovery and he felt nothing but respect for the powers of this world; but this? This stung his pride. Shinobi were sneakier than he thought _. Their easy acquiescence to my demands was always suspect._

Tom frowned. He thought he had worded the agreement on his terms. _It would perhaps, behove me to re-evaluate when I get the time. As much as I would prefer personal attention, or better yet, an independent study with a guide, a class of four is not too shabby,_ Tom mulled as he studied his classmates.

They all looked to be around 12. A pale boy with hair and eyes the colour of a raven. _Proud, rich, conceited,_ he documented. A ridiculously happy blond that hurt his eye: blue irises, poor, lives alone. _Maintain distance to preserve the sanctity of my mind._ A brown haired, doe-eyed girl with a heart shaped face. _Probably a shop-keepers daughter. A smith? Soot on the hands could point towards a food stall as well. Regardless, comes from a comfortable, loving home. She has not seen any hardships._

Tom’s initial documentation of their character profile did not encourage him in any way. His thoughts barely took him 15 seconds and they were now standing in front of him.

“Good Morning, children!” Sakumo greeted happily, a glint in his eye. “I’m sorry to say that your Sensei, Jiraiya is busy at the war front and will not be teaching you for some time.”

Taking in the blond and brunette’s crestfallen expressions, he rapidly continued. “The good news is that I will be teaching the four of you for the next few months, and until Jiraiya returns. You may refer to me as Sakumo Sensei for the time. As Jiraiya barely spent a month tutoring you three, I doubt a schedule change would cause you any difficulty. So!” He clapped twice loudly, making Tom flinch.“Come now! Introduce yourselves!”

“Introduce ourselves?” Tom said wryly.

“Yes, yes! You know, your likes, dislikes, hobbies and aim for the future!”

“Tch. We already did that a month ago, Sensei,” Raven spoke.

“Yes, but this is a new team! We must start afresh! Oh, okay then, I shall start. I am Hatake Sakumo. I like spending time with my son, Kakashi, and singing. I dislike traitors and disloyalty. My hobbies are training and developing my skills, and spending time with my friends. My aim for the future is simple, I want to serve my village to the best of my abilities and protect my precious people within it. This I achieve every day when I do my job.”

Even Tom was rendered speechless by that passionate introduction.

“Okay then, how about you, girly?”

 _Shy,_ Tom immediately added to her profile when she stuttered. _Under confident._

“Hai! I am Hakano Izumi. I like-“ She paused momentarily when she sneaked a look at her team’s expressions. She blushed prettily and began re-evaluating her response. “I like dogs and I dislike onions because they make me cry. My hobbies are playing with my baby sister and I aim to earn enough so I can take my family to watch the puppeteering Shows in Suna.”

 _Yes. Very,very sheltered._ Sakumo was looking at her in a sad manner, but he did not know why.

“That’s a good aim to have, Izumi-chan!” Sakumo said pleasantly.

Kid-raven scowled at that. Tom would not say it out loud but he agreed. _Was that it? Is that all she wanted in life? Did she have to ambition? Tch._

“Alright then blondie, you’re up!”

Blond-boy beamed. “Hello! I am Namikaze Minato. I like studying, and Fuinjutsu and Taijutsu practice! I dislike wasting time and tummy aches! My hobbies are helping people and studying and spending time with my friends and my goal…” He took in a deep breath. “Is to be The Hokage!”

_Good God. Merciful Merlin. Are his eyes shining? Please save me from the plague that is this ball of sunshine- **Hold on just one second.** _

_Did he just say he wants to be the Hokage?_ Tom thought back further, utterly blinded by the boy’s brightness. _Did he say he spends all his time studying?!_ Tom looked at the boy dumbfounded. _This boy has the ambition of a Slytherin, the drive of a Hufflepuff, the ethics of a Ravenclaw and instincts as moronic as a Gryffindor. Just who was this boy? Also, what in the world is fuinju- Oh Good God. I need a Library._

Sakumo chuckled in the face of Minato’s exuberance. _Of course, he would,_ Tom thought sarcastically. _Their energy levels put Minerva to shame._

“Ok then, now you pale boy.”

Pale boy gave Sakumo a scowl but began dutifully.

“Hai, Sensei. I am Uchiha Fugaku. I like to study ninjutsu with my father. I dislike people who slow me down.” Here he sent Tom and Izumi a furtive glance. “My hobbies are spending time with my mother to garden and discuss strategies. My goal is to adequately represent my clan and bring pride to our village.”

 _Yep. Prideful. Stick up his arse. He could be pureblood; I feel right at home! And if he did not already dislike me, I would probably tolerate him the best. What is interesting is their unconditional loyalty to the village and their bonds._ Tom smirked. _An intensive study is in order, I need to see what makes these Shinobi tick, of course._

“A worthy goal to have. And finally, why don’t you tell us about yourself, Voldemo-san,” Sakumo sent him A Look. “And your given name this time, please.”

Tom raised an eyebrow and wondered for the first time about how high up in the hierarchy Hatake Sakumo was. He shrugged that thought off presently to think. _Hmm… so how do I play this._

“Alright.” He smiled alluringly (he would know, he practiced for the occasion in front of the mirror) in a way that he knew made people stop to look. “I am Tom Marvolo Riddle, or you can call me Voldemo. It is a name I have given myself.”

He stopped thoughtfully, annoyed at his accent showing through. Polished English didn’t really go so well with Japanese, let alone Olde Japanese, so to speak.

“I like to read. I dislike stagnation and people who rely heavily on fate. My hobbies are making new… _Jutsus,_ and discovering and exploring new cultures. As you can tell, I am definitely not from around here. Your culture and thinking are so very different to mine, and thus it is my goal to learn from those who know more, in order to help in the advancement and evolution of society. Please take care of me.” He appealed, bowing his head low in a flourish.

 _It was a bit much and I may have overdone it,_ if he had to be completely honest with himself. _But it was calculated and presented my goals in a positive and worthy light._ Tom sneered at the floor. He cleared his expression when Sakumo beckoned him to stand up.

“None of that,” the man said lightly. His classmates stood in various shades of embarrassment at his display, the Uchiha a paragon of superiority.

_That’s what Malfoy looked like too. It will take some time and effort, but I will wipe that smirk off your face, even if I have to kill you to do it, you smug, pint-sized shit._

“We are here to help each other, after all. No need for such formalities.”

Boy-Raven scoffed, already writing Tom off.

“Ok then! Now that we all know each other, I should probably let you know that I am not going to test you again since Jiraiya has already done that. We meet two days from now at 8, we will do missions in the morning. Pack a lunch as we will train soon after. Any questions?”

“Yes, is there a library I can go to?” Tom asked.

“Yes, ah... Minato-kun. Could you take Voldemo-kun there after this? Yes? If that’s all, you’re dismissed. Voldemo, if you could stay back a moment.”

Boy-Raven and Shy girl sent him a curious look before walking away. Minato quickly understood Sakumo’s need for privacy and started moving towards the edge of the training ground.

“Yes, Sakumo Sensei?” Tom said politely.

“Hmm... I do like hearing you say that” The silver haired man purred, and Tom tensed before relaxing himself.

“Surely… you did not make me wait to flirt with me?” Tom asked delicately.

Sakumo looked sheepish for a moment. Then he ran a hand through his silver hair rakishly. His low chuckle caught Tom off guard, giving him an odd sensation; like a hot ball of fire dropped into the pits of his stomach.

“No, of course not. I just want to let you know the Hokage requests your presence tomorrow morning at 1000 hrs at the Hokage tower. I trust you know the way.”

Tom gave him a bland look. “Requests?”

Sakumo snorted at him. “Be there on time. The Hokage does not tolerate delays.” He said before disappearing in a swirl of leaves. Tom blinked at the spot for a second before he turned away to exit the area.

“What was that about?” Little Minato asked, his blue eyes looking up at him.

“Ah, nothing important.” He said dismissively. “Now, tell me Minato-kun. Before we head to the library, would you like to get something to eat? What’s good here?” Minato lit up at the thought of food making Tom snort at how easy it was to get in the boy’s good graces.

“Well, there’s the Barbeques by the Akimichi’s, and the – oh! We should have ramen at Ichiraku’s!”

Tom was not really given the chance to respond before he was dragged across the town to a little, dumpy shop with Ichiraku’s written over it. There was a slow, delicious smell of spices wafting towards them, and the sound of vegetables sizzling in the air. Behind the counter, and in the live kitchen stood a large man in a white chef hat and apron.

“Welcome to Ichiraku’s!” The man boomed jovially. “Oh it’s you Minato-kun! The same as always, I presume?” When he nodded eagerly, the chef turned to Tom and asked. “Minato’s friend! I am Ichiraku, do you know what you want?”

The low lighting and cosy atmosphere made him feel a little hollow in his chest. He smiled genially, “Hello, I am Voldemo. Ne, Ichiraku-san, would you have a menu? No… you know what? Give me your chef’s special!” He said, feeling a little adventurous. As an English man, he veritably wary of Asian spices, _When in Rome._ He thought. _Or Konoha in this case._

“Chef’s special?” Ichiraku asked curiously.

_Ah, use your words Tom._

“Oh, you know, your favourite! The thing you make the best?”

“Ahh...” He nodded knowingly. “Do you have a preference?”

“Surprise me,” Tom winked, making Ichiraku boom with laughter again.

“One Chef’s special, coming right up!” The man turned away to work at his station.

Tom casually turned back to his left to face Minato and jolted at the way the little blond stared at him intensely.

“Is something wrong, Minato-kun?” He asked cautiously.

“You’re like me, aren’t you?”

“Like you?” Tom asked.

“Yes... an orphan.”

Tom’s smile dropped.

“Oh no.!” Minato started waving his hands furiously. “I don’t mean to insult you or anything… you just had that look in your eye-“ He stopped himself, embarrassed.

_Serves me right for letting my guard down in a hostile environment. He is a child, but as perceptive a child as I was. I need to treat them with the kind of caution I would give myself._

“No, Minato-kun.. _do_ continue.”

The child obviously did not pick up on the dangerous undertone he gave out because he started blabbering.

“I’ve been alone all my life… So, I know what it’s like to sleep hungry, to crave for the warmth of another human. The orphanage was hell as well.”

Blood pounded behind his eyes as he watched the little fool flounder, wringing his hands. _How dare he spell out the weakness I had endured. The pitiful cards I had been dealt._

“Minato,” he bit out sharply, causing the boy to jerk to halt. “That we might have shared ‘some’ common circumstances is quite unfortunate. But this does not mean you can blubber about it to an absolute stranger. If you have faced problems in your life, do not expect sympathy from people who do not know you.” At Minato’s stupefied gaze, he added. “And If you want advise from me, then all you can do is rise above it.”

He did not mean to say all of that, but the boy was getting on his nerves, complaining about his problems. He was not sure why Minato brought his observations to him, but Tom really did not want to be reminded of the miserable life he had led. He exhaled slowly, trying to find a way to cover his outburst but he was saved from doing so. Minato had watched him wide-eyed and had now donned a sad little smile.

“I mean no offence, Voldemo-senpai. But if you ever need someone to talk to, I am always willing.” _Senpai, huh?_ The look that Tom gave him was long and bewildered. “Hm.”

Ichiraku’s booming voice jerked them out of their stupor.“Here you go! One Miso-Ramen, extra beans! and one chef’s special for you!” He laid down their bowls in a flourish and looked at him expectantly. Tom looked at their faces in amazement and decided to humour them. He neatly broke his chopsticks and swirled his noodles to take one long slurp. Colours burst in his mouth and his eyes popped open.“This is…” Tom was speechless.

Ichiraku and Minato beamed widely at him, and for once he did not have the heart to look away. It was like coming home. “We know!” They chorused.

They began eating with enthusiasm, but their attention was drawn to the loud slurping further down the counter. A girl who looked to be around Minato’s age was polishing off her.. sixth (?) bowl of ramen with relish. Tom felt a little sick looking at her, to be honest, so he turned his back to her, so he could enjoy his own meal when he realized Minato was still staring at her.

“Minato-kun.. You don’t have to look at her if you are losing your appetite.” He said lowly.

“Huh?” The boy said intelligently, still staring at her.

Tom looked at him puzzled. _Wha-_

“Minato-baka!” The red-haired girl suddenly yelled, standing and pointing a finger at him.

“Uhhh”

“Why are you staring at me like that? Are you going to insult me like everybody else?”

Tom was starting to question his decision to cooperate with this village. It was becoming exceedingly obvious that all the occupants were absolutely nutters. He decided to butt in before this escalated anymore. Minato had paled dramatically, and it seemed prudent to save his teammate from blood loss.

He turned towards the girl and smiled, “Hello there chibi-chan, may I have your name and the reason for harassing my... teammate?”

If it was possible, the girl turned redder than before, stunned at the possibility that someone would actually interrupt her. Though thankfully, she seemed to have lost the steam for her anger. _She looks remarkably like a tomato,_ Tom mused.

“I-I…” She sputtered before dashing away from the stall without so much as a thank you to the owner. All of them froze at the absurdity of the situation before Ichiraku burst out laughing. Tom looked at Minato in confusion, who let out a strangled laugh as well.

“Come Voldemo-Senpai, I should get you to the library. Let’s finish eating.” Minato said with mirth in his eyes.

* * *

There was a quiet whistling sound and Orochimaru jumped out the way of a water jutsu in the nick of time.

“Careful there!” The oaf yelled at him.

“Look after yourself, Jiraiya!” he yelled back, the three of them fell into a perfect formation; covering each other’s weak spots was almost subconscious at this point.

“Not now boys!” Tsunade called out, even as she rocked a crater in the ground, scattering a good chunk of the army engaged with them. With the space Tsunade created, Orochimaru gained the much-needed distance to send a volley of nin-jutsu. He rapidly put his Kusanagi away to engage.

_Fire Release: Great Blaze Ball_

A large flame shot out to burn the men still trapped in Tsunade’s crater. Orochimaru turned away and engaged immediately, without a second thought.

“Thanks” he yelled to Tsunade

“Could’ve used an earth jutsu, now I won’t be able to go to Akimichi’s barbeque for days.” He heard her mutter.

Tsunade had an… _odd_ sense of humour. _Odd, but not unwelcome_ , he smirked.

“Oh, hello there darling” He heard Jiraiya say and there was the sound of incessant sputtering. _Is he seriously-_

“Jiraiya!” Tsunade roared. “I will punch the living daylights out of you, stop flirting with the enemy!”

“Okay, okay! Jeez, woman” Jiraiya punched the man’s kidney and rapidly took him out. “Voldemo was prettier anyway” he muttered under his breath.

..

“Is that so?” Came a deceptively mild voice. It was surprisingly not him who said it, though he _was_ thinking it. Orochimaru peered at the Hime from the corner of his eye wondering what this was about.

“Pretty how, Jiraiya?” Tsunade asked, taking out another shinobi with an earth jutsu behind him. Jiraiya audibly gulped. He seemed more afraid of her than the surrounding enemies at this point.

 _As he should be,_ Came Orochimaru’s traitorous thought.

“Well...” Jiraiya drawled out kicking at two Shinobi at the same time with his Frog Kata.“He has these amazing cheekbones... and tousled brown hair and…”A sense of foreboding washed over Orochimaru as he happened to peak at Tsunade’s shadowed face. Orochimaru stared at Tsunade, battle forgotten for the moment, as he was flabbergasted that she would actually release her Killer Intent over this. He quickly turned to Jiraya to make slashing motions at his neck. _ABORT. ABORT._

The Oaf wasn’t listening to him. Well... he _was_ a little preoccupied with all the Shinobi but, oh well. His funeral.

Before Tsunade could unleash her anger – _Why was she angry?-_ A large Salamander appeared about a 100 feet in front of them. The three of them glanced at each other, all levity lost.

_Summoning Jutsu!_

_A standoff,_ Orochimaru thought. A toad, A Snake, A slug against The Salamander.

What commenced was absolute carnage. Shinobi that came in their way were brutally bulldozed over. Orochimaru hoped their men had the presence of mind to stay clear.

 **Pincer Formation!** He signed with his hands to his teammates. It was a miracle to be this close to the man and still be breathing... though, he might have something to do with that.

_Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!_

It was not much but it kept the poisonous fumes exuded by the salamander at bay.

“To the right, Ibuse!” He heard Hanzo scream, presumably the name of his Salamander. Orochimaru took a moment to study the man.

Hanzo of the Salamander. A legendary Shinobi of Amegakure (The country of Rain). He seemed muscular and of average height. Like the Bingo Book mentioned, he had long blond hair and dark brown eyes. He donned the infamous face mask that acted as a ventilator against his own poison. He wore a dark cloak that extended below his waist, and the customary flak jacket with swirls on his chest plate.

“Unpreparedness is one’s greatest enemy” Hanzo mocked, as the salamander slammed into Tsunade’s Slug, Katsuya. Orochimaru refused to let the man get a rise out of him.

Tsunade though…

“Yeah? Is that what your wife says to you at night?”

Jiraiya let out a strangled sound and Orochimaru had a hard time holding in his snort.

And then Tsunade proceeded to thrash him like she was on a war path.

“..was it something I said?” Jiraiya muttered anxiously as they flanked her, ready to give her back up if she needed it.

Orochimaru gave him a look of exasperation. “I’m surrounded by idiots.”

“Hey-!”

“Boys!” Tsunade yelled. Orochimaru saw an opening. It was small but-

“Take it!” Jiraiya yelled.

Orochimaru directed Manda, his large purple cobra with speed to his quarry. He got it him-!

_Almost!_

A cloud of poison in their faces caused their Boss summons to dispel. The three fell from the height of a 5- storey building and cushioned their landing using some chakra. Jiraiya groaned piteously.

“Just a little bit more” Tsunade murmured. They got to their feet and forced themselves to remain standing.

A quick wind jutsu and Hanzo stood 100 feet away, like before. This time there was a cut on his right cheek from Orochimaru’s Kusanagi, for his trouble.

“Was that… was that a space- time ninjutsu?!” Jiraiya said in amazement, referring to the speed at which Hanzo had fled their ambush. If Tsunade leaned into Jiraiaya, exhausted, to take his support, no one would mention it.

“You three... are worthy fighters and exemplary Shinobi” They heard Hanzo say.

“How’s he doing that, is he yelling?” Tsunade muttered.

Hanzo twirled the Kusarigama in his hand with expertise, holding the weight in his left hand. “As it is only the three of you who faced me with adequate battle prowess, I shall let you live.”

Orochimaru tensed. _It couldn’t be that easy._ “

I shall let you live if… you call yourselves Konoha’s Sannin henceforth.”

_Sannin..? Because we survived?? How... Insulting._

And because not one of the survivors said a thing – _Could be because of their low chakra stores and the slow acting paralytic in their veins-_ Hanzo of the Salamander nodded his head magnanimously and left. His benevolent nature took them by surprise.

“Are we... Are we the only survivors?” Tsunade hesitated. She was a field medic, and this was a tremendous blow to her pride. “We can check,” Jiraiya said, but immediately buckled and fell to his knees.

“Jiraiya!” she cried, rapidly lighting her hands in green light to diagnose him.

“You’re wounded! Why didn’t you say anything?” Her hands worked furiously.

“We need to get out of here,” Orochimaru cut in.

Tsunade looked at him frantically. “Oro! He’s not in good shape.”

“Tsunade, I sense 20 incoming from the west. We are out of chakra and we need to move _now.”_

Tsunade reluctantly stood up and pursed her lips. She then bent to pick up Jiraiya, the behemoth of a man, and hefted him on her shoulder. Jiraiya giggled; he had begun hallucinating. Tsunade gave him a sharp look. “First sign of shelter, Oro-“

“Of course.”

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hm.. who guessed it was Jiraiya's team?


	10. An uphill Battle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Sigh. I want to say I could have written sooner but I really doubt it. Turns out my country has decided this is a fantastic time to start school again. (I'm beginning a post graduate course in Orthodontics)  
> All this has amounted to, though, is me flying to a different state to be quarantined there. #facepalm  
> But I promise to make the most of it in my down time (and what little time I have left before the course starts)
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Naruto  
> Beta: Devoid-Black
> 
> Happy Reading!

**Chapter 10: An Uphill Battle**

> _“He who learns but does not think is lost.  
>  He who thinks but does not learn is in Great Danger”  
>  -Confucius _

The sky was coloured a brilliant pink hue when they sped towards tall metallic buildings with a single minded purpose. They had decided to go through Ame. _It wasn’t the most sane plan_ , she admitted to herself. _But they really did not have the energy to take the scenic route; not to mention all signs of ‘stealth’ were blown to smithereens._ In an effort to conserve their energy, they had decided to forgo the use of chakra.

Tsunade huffed, wet from the rain as she lugged Jiraiya over her shoulder. And Jiraiya, for his part, was babbling nonsense: ‘Ooo.. Foxy little thing, aren’t you? How do you feel about toads though, hmm??’

She frowned; _W_ _here did he come up with these atrocious pick up lines?  
_She shifted her hold of him over her shoulder and he slid down a little. Jiraiya, who was hung over her back, giggled. He then ghosted a palm over her ass and squeezed. Tsunade froze.

“Tsunade, move it!” Orochimaru snapped.

“If you weren’t drugged to your balls, I would have chopped them off” She muttered darkly, not slowing her sprint. Jiraiya burst into giggles behind her.

“Here!” Orochimaru jumped into an alcove in the rocks, and she breathed a sigh of relief. She was tired to the bone. Urging her body to move - _just a little bit more_ \- she collapsed on the floor, disregarding the dirt. She began disrobing her large teammate, frustrated beyond belief. _He needs a drip. Saline! And he needs to sleep off the chakra exhaustion. We all do!_ When she removed his vest, her heart stopped.

The stench of bile permeated in the air and she forced herself to look at the injuries without vomiting.

Tsunade was usually a clear headed medic. _But this is Jiraiya!_ She was breathing faster.. _hyperventilating,_ she dully realized.

 _How did I miss this!_ She screamed internally. She could only blame her already exhausted state. The gash on Jiraiya’s abdomen was large and scrambled mess, his innards spilling out. Clumps of undigested food floating in the _Red... Red... Red…_

_FOCUS._

A sharp inhale made her look up.

“Orochimaru” She gasped at the wide-eyed man. He had looked over while he was still laying traps at the mouth of the cave.

He visibly shook himself out of his stupor. “What is the prognosis?” Orochimaru asked.

Tsunade’s picked out the debris methodically. _I need to wash this out.. Oh Kami._ She ran through her bag.. They needed to prevent an infection. Her hands lit green again healing.. _healing_..

She didn’t know how much time had passed. _Stupid Jiraiya. Idiot Jiraiya. Did he not have the sense to tell her he was injured? Did he not trust her? Idiot._

_Memories of an exuberant boy ran through her head; white hair and red markings... annoying her… teasing her... ‘Will you not go out with me, Hime?’ a smirk and punch. Lots of clobbering. But no matter what he was always there. When she was upset. Sad. Happy. Angry. He. Was. There! To share it with her. To make her feel better. Him and Oro._

_But now… He was bleeding out.. He was dying- HE WOULD NOT DIE. Not when SHE had something to say about it!_ Her hands were shaking. No! Her hands were steady. (Mito-obaachan would have her hide if she saw her cracking under pressure) Jiraiya.. Jiraiya was convulsing! He was going into shock! SHIT! She gave him another blood pill and started wrapping his stomach. He needed every last bit of her chakra.

“Tsunade” Jiraiya whispered, his eyes were unfocused and he was shaking like a frail leaf. _Jiraiya? Frail?_ She almost snorted.

A spastic hand wiped her cheek.

When did she begin crying?

She looked up to face the stoic face of her third teammate. He looked pale. But then again he always looked pale.

“Incoming Tsunade. Thirty Signatures. Feels like Iwa.”

She shuddered, trying to overcome her exhaustion. _Of course, the cowards would want to pick them off when they were at their weakest._

“Tsunade... how much time does he have?”

Tsunade flinched. Her lower lip wobbled.

“Tsunade, please.” Orochimaru rasped making her look up in shock.

“If you want..” He hesitated. “I can do it. It will hardly take a second, we need to flee.”

For a second, she did not comprehend.. and when it dawned on her she reeled back as if physically struck.

Her head was bowed and though she shook with rage, tears flowed freely down her cheeks.

“ _How dare you?!”_ She growled clenching her fists, wanting nothing more than to beat the man into pulp.

Orochimaru sighed.

Before he could carry on with his _despicable_ suggestion, a cough pulled their attention to their felled teammate.

“He’s.. He’s right, Hime” Jiraiya coughed, breathing shallowly.

Anger coursed through her veins like fire. How. Dare. They.

_How dare they ask her to sacrifice a teammate like a lamb?_

Her hands lit up and she was working again.

“Tsu-“

“Leave, Orochimaru.” She paused the process of revitalizing the cells for a second. Just enough time to look up and catch his eyes with a penetrating gaze.

“Flee if you want, for I do not leave my comrades behind”

He stared at her blankly and hate zipped through her spine as he walked out of the cave. She did not bother wasting any more energy on him and got back to her task, oblivious to the world.

…

An hour later when the man walked back into the cave bloody with a Konoha team with him, she almost fell with relief.

“Where were you?” She whispered.

“Iwa platoon is taken care of” Orochimaru said blankly and promptly dropped like his strings were cut off.

“Chakra exhaustion..” A man, the Jounin Team Leader presumably said with a frown. “Overdid it, didn’t he? You are lucky we have a medic with us.”

Tsunade looked at her teammate gobsmacked before unconsciousness took her too.

* * *

Tom dazedly walked back to his apartment from the library. His reading started slow but eventually, he caught steam. Never let it be said that Tom dawdled when what he wanted was within his reach.

_Chakra? Tenketsu? Jutsu?_

A bubble of hysterical laughter rose from his chest. If he didn’t know he was in a different world, he would think he was dreaming. This culture was just so _intrinsically_ different.. it turned the world on its head. Did the Healers at St. Mungo's know of the Tenketsu? _Perhaps_. Tom mused. _Probably not in detail._

Was the anatomy of the humans here different from back in his world? ...That was the big question, wasn’t it? Did the segregation of this society completely change their physiologies? Did their bodies now evolve to harness their powers in different ways? Did this mean then.. that the Shinobi could not wield the wand and the wizard could not conduct chakras?

A frown marred Tom’s porcelain face as he walked through a sea of curious stares.

_Research. I need to research._

Merlin, didn’t that make him feel giddy. It has been a few years since something caught his interest like this. And if he wasn’t mistaken, there was the entire elemental nations to cover.

A smirk took over Tom’s face as he unlocked his apartment with his key and let himself in.

 _A worthy project._ He grinned, _And who knows, there might be more hidden civilizations like this one. All I need to do is look for it!_

Overcome by this conclusion, Tom turned his mind to the second problem that was troubling him. He sat down on his bed with his back against the wall, crossed his legs and took a deep breath.

_In. Out. In. Out._

He phased into his mindscape and opened his eyes. Sharp, gray eyes took in his surroundings.

The fire crackled merrily and Tom went to stand in front of the library to take out a very new looking book.

“Hmm.. so let’s see shall we..”

Long, piano- fingers stroked the spine as he sat gingerly on the plush armchair.

He opened it.

_Tom Riddle, Nara Yoroi, Yamanaka Inoki and the Hokage were seated around a conference table._

_“So..” The Nara began. “How does this work?”_

_The corner of Tom’s mouth twitched._

_“The Unbreakable Vow is essentially a binding magical contract that is fatal when broken.”_

_The temperature in the room dropped._

_“Fatal to both parties?” asked Sarutobi._

_“No. Only to the one who breaks it” Tom said in wry amusement._

_“The two parties must be kneeling or be standing opposite each other and must clasp each others right hands. A third party must hold their wand, or in this case chakra must be applied. He must stand close to the pair holding hands and place the top of their wand onto the linked hands, acting as witness.”_

_“Then the first will ask a certain number of vows of the other, whereupon each time the second accepts a term, a thin stream of fire will be emitted from the witness’s wand, weaving around the hands of the pair taking the vows. Upon the vow being completed, should the one who accepted the terms break any of them, they die.”_

_“That’s.. quite straight forward” Yoroi mused. “How does the witness access this power?”_

_“They will it” Tom stated simply._

_“Will it?” Inoki said dumbfounded._

_“Intent, Yamanaka-san, can change everything.” Tom smirked._

_All three Konohan men sat straighter contemplating the implications of that statement._

_“That is.. quite a fair bit of crucial knowledge you have bestowed upon us without prompting..” The hokage said cautiously._

_“Think of it as good will” Tom shrugged. “Regardless, you **will** your chakra to emit red light and take your stand as witness for … whatever deity you worship for your powers. We personally worship Mother Magic, herself.”_

_“Kami” Inoki intoned. “We worship Kami-Sama”_

_Tom hummed. “The spell itself is advance, it is not used often for it is difficult to learn and access the power. Magic calculates your worth as a witness, as well as the worth of your vows. This magic is not used lightly and only in matters of strict confidence, therefore is should not be invoked between the underage. “_

_“From what I have researched and witnessed, the lesser the number of clauses, the more tightly bound the contract. I also recommend having no more than 3 clauses, the optimum number being 2. It is also better to have the same number of clauses by both parties.”_

_“There are, of course, other less fool-proof ways to establish a contract. The Blood Pact, A Magical contract...”_

_“And why don’t we do those?”_

_Tom’s eyes snapped to Yoroi._

_“I figured” Tom said with a shark like smile. “We begin the basis of our relationship with the strongest binding possible”_

_Yoroi didn’t break contact for 10 whole beats._

_He looked away and towards the Hokage. “I suggest we write down the clauses beforehand”_

_“Of course” Tom allowed, making Inoki throw him a disgruntled look._

_“Come Inoki, try expelling your chakra from your hands like this” Tom lifted his hands to demonstrate._

_.._

**_3 hours later.._ **

_“Are you done yet?” Yoroi asked, irritated._

_“Why don’t you do it, if you’re so smart” Inoki snapped back._

_“Are you sure we shouldn’t do this tomorrow?” Tom whisper-asked the Hokage._

_Sarutobi chortled in good humour, “No, I would prefer if the basics of our relationship were established today.”_

_Tom nodded._

**_Another 3 hours later.._ **

_“Not bad..” Tom mused. “I only beat you by.. 3 hours”_

_Inoki grunted from the floor, exhausted beyond belief._

_“It is not like I had any other choice”_

_“It is still better than a lot of people I know” Tom said condescendingly. “People usually take 2 weeks to learn it!”_

_“2 weeks!” Inoki gasped and his face crumpled._

_“Despicable, right!” Tom mused in derision. He looked over Inoki in consideration._

_“What?” Inoki snapped._

_“You’re competent.” Tom said slowly._

_Inoki grunted and Tom shook his head._

_“I have never been so pushed in my life. Even when my life was on line. You are a slave driver, you are!” Inoki bitched._

_“I wish I could recruit you.” Tom muttered under his breath, making Inoki go through a full body shudder._

_“Oh Kami!” He moaned._

_“If you two are done being dramatic” Yoroi called. “We are ready to start”_

_“This spell has a lot of chakra expenditure” Tom stated blandly. But even Inoki knew the cold man had straight up given a warning._

_Yoroi chuckled looking at the awestruck expression on his friend’s face. This venture had to be taxing but at least Inoki had earned Tom’s (dubious) respect._

_“Ready?”_

_The Hokage kneeled with Tom and waited for Inoki to pop a Chakra-pill before joining them._

_Tom looked at the pill in fascination. “Later” A now rejuvenated Inoki whispered._

_Inoki’s hands lit up red and clasped the their arms._

_The Hokage gave Tom a tiny nod, allowing him to start._

_“Do you Sarutobi Hiruzen, as Hokage of Konoha, taking responsibility for Yamanaka Inoki and Nara Yoroi, vow to keep my secrets and to only divulge them with my explicit and willing approval that is not given under the influence of drugs, spells, jutsus or other acts of unwilling coercion?”_

_“I do”_

_I thin strip of fire raced around their entwined wrists, the men watched captivated._

_“Do you Sarutobi Hiruzen, as Hokage of Konoha, taking responsibility for Yamanaka Inoki and Nara Yoroi, vow to never harm me, Tom Marvolo Riddle, my person or mind without giving me a forewarning or seeking my counsel and without explicit proof of wrongdoing?”_

_“I do”_

_A second ribbon joined the first, looking very snake like. Tom nodded at the Hokage._

_“Do you, Tom Marvolo Riddle, vow to aid and protect Konoha to the best of your abilities?”_

_“I do”_

_Funny, how he practiced saying his name to get it right. Funnier that he only included Konoha and not the Hokage explicitly. A strip of fire crossed over their forearms._

_“Do you, Tom Marvolo Riddle, vow to take on a minimum of two apprentices in Konoha and to teach and cherish them to the best of your abilities?”_

_“I do”_

_The strand of fire that erupted was a blindi_ _ng white, it looped between their arms like a bow and fell._

_Inoki let out a shuddering breath._

_“I, Yamanaka Inoki, stand as witness to this ceremony. Let Kami herself bless this binding with her powers. So mote be it.”_

_Tom looked into Hiruzen’s brown eyes._

_“So mote be it” They said in unison and closed their eyes at the onset of a blinding light and pulse of energy._

The memory faded.

Tom quietly put the book back into the shelf and sat down.

The rest of the agreement was made on a contract paper. There was no clause making them share all their knowledge, but Tom played a tactical retreat hoping to earn their good will before making more demands.

But what was he missing? Was he missing anything? There were loopholes. _So many loopholes._

They were Ninja and he was a Slytherin. After hours of diplomatic drivel, this was the best he could bargain on, in such a situation.

Tom absent-mindedly, twirled his wand between his fingers. He was worried. Why was he worried? He paused.

**It was a game of chess and he didn’t know all of the pieces.**

The sudden clarity of that thought made him sigh in relief.

And now that he knew, he would remedy it.

Tom slipped out of him mindscape, a weight lifted from his shoulders. He got under the covers.

Tomorrow was a long day and he needed his sleep.

* * *

The next day saw Tom at the Hokage Tower at 1000 hours. He stood at the reception desk looking at the woman in front of him in disgust.

“I keep telling you ma’am, the Hokage requested my presence-“ Tom was saying with a frown on his face. The receptionist cut him off.

“I’m sorry Shinobi-San, you aren’t scheduled in for a meeti-“

The door to the Hokage’s room swung open dramatically and the Hokage walked out.

“Oh there you are Voldemo-san, what kept you?”

Tom ground his teeth together before he said something he couldn’t take back.

“Hokage-Sama” he said finally.

“Come on in then..”

Tom followed him in after throwing the receptionist a scathing glance.

“Sit.. sit” the man invited amicably.

“Now, before we begin, I would like to let you know that today’s agenda is to assess your abilities in order to ascertain your skill-set. So that we can assign you to the appropriate division, and find out what we have to teach you.”

Tom nodded. “May I ask who will be present?”

Hiruzen gave him a lopsided smile. “You’re asking the right questions. Other than my trusted advisors Jonin commander Nara Yoroi and T&I .. that is Torture and Interrogation.. Head, Yamanaka Inoki and your sensei, Jounnin: Hatake Sakumo, the council of the elders will be present as well.”

“Hm” Tom took in the wording of what he said. _And here come the chess pieces._ Tom smiled.

“Then..” He hesitated. “What shall I display?”

The Hokage gave him a wry smile. “Only what you use regularly.”

While Tom considered this statement, Inoki and Yoroi walked in.

“So, you’re putting on a show for us?” Inoki grinned.

“Of course” Tom said sardonically.

The door opened again to reveal three Shinobi who were around Hiruzen’s age and Sakumo, who gave him a blinding grin.

The Hokage stood up. “Ah. You’re here. Voldemo-san, this is Shimura Danzo, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura; The council of elders. Since your skill-set is unknown, they are here to evaluate.”

“Good Morning” Tom said politely, but for all he could tell, he was talking to a brick wall. The man called Homura looked at him in disdain.

“And of course, your Sensei, Sakumo. Come, let us get going. There is much to do.”

They made their way out to a chamber further down the hallway. It seemed to be covered in.. some strange sort of runes. Tom squinted.

“Now then, first an endurance test!” Called Yoroi and Tom grimaced.

“My physical fitness is in no great shap-“

“That is for us to decide” Danzo cut in. “You will follow your orders.”

Tom’s eyes blazed, instantly cutting to him. _Follow orders?!_

“Come Voldemo” Sakumo’s low tone pulled him out of his rage. “Show them what you can do”

He was going to hold back before. _Screw them._

“What do you want me to do?” He asked.

“Take as many laps of this room as you can. At least 10.”

Tom shot off in a jog. He realized, belatedly, that he should have stretched before this nonsense. He kept it up though. He was not lying when he said his physical fitness was atrocious. By the eighth round, he was sweating bullets. He dragged himself to do two more, despite feeling utterly dehydrated. He would not give them the satisfaction of being right. He ran one more round for good measure, and by the time he was done his rage earlier... well it was not forgotten, but it simmered.

“Hiruzen, why are we wasting our time?” Koharu asked.

“50 pushups, 50 crunches, 50 pull-ups. Go!” Sakumo barked.

Tom grit his teeth and got to it.

When he finished an hour later, he made his way back to the council.

The Hokage gave him a measuring look. “Are you ready to continue, Voldemo-san?”

“Yes” Tom panted.

“As we know, Voldemo-San has no experience in Taijutsu, Genjutsu or Ninjutsu-“

“Then what exactly are we doing here?!” Homura burst out.

“Hiruzen, I must agree with Homura. Why are we here? What is the point of this foolishness?” Danzo asked.

“Voldemo-san, has a Kekke Genkai.. As he is sole survivor of his clan , he came to us for asylum.” The Hokage’s smile turned brighter like a shark smelling blood. He repeated what they had already discussed. This would be their cover-story.

“And what.. clan is this?” Koharu addressed him with derision.

“Slytherin.” Tom said, standing a little straighter.

She sniffed. “Never heard of it.”

“That would be because we were hidden on the islands, madam” he said giving her a charming smile. To his utter amusement, her frown only became more pronounced.

“Let us see what your.. Kekke Genkai can do, shall we?” Danzo spoke, reevaluating Voldemo; if the gaze that washed over him meant anything. Tom held back a shudder.

He snapped his hand and grabbed his wand.

What followed _looked like_ a magical show. _Of chairs turning into ravens, of arrows appearing out of nowhere and hitting a target, of conjured flames, and tidal waves, objects flying around the room, what seemed to be a mock battle with flying spells at a dummy…_

“Kai” Sakumo whispered to dispel the illusion. Nothing happened.

Koharu slowly shuffled towards a chair and sat down. “Dispel your systems of any foreign chakra!” she barked to the audience. They obeyed with haste.

“Now..” Koharu said. Looking at Tom. “Lift the chair, boy”

Tom scowled but wordlessly did as told.

“It is real?! Kai!” Power raced through her frail visage. Seeing nothing change, she jumped off the chair and landed in a graceful crouch.

“These are not illusions.” She told them.

When he returned to the spell-bound audience, they were slack-jawed and wide-eyed with wonder. Like little children at a magic show. Tom swept his gaze over them. _I take it back, that one there looks positively.. **hungry.**_

Tom got a mild déjà-vu of Orochimaru hungering over this power. He shook himself out of his stupor when Danzo finally broke the silence.

“What.was.that?” Danzo did not lift his gaze from Tom’s wand.

“Magic..” Tom said guilelessly.

“And that in your hand?”

“Is called a wand. It is a mere conduit to harness my power. Although,” Tom shot Danzo a sharp look. “A wand is unique to the caster and be sometimes harmful to anybody else.”

“Was everyone in your clan capable of such feats?” Koharu asked, her voice a squeak.

Tom raised an eyebrow at her. “What I just displayed? Yes. All students that completed 5 years of education were capable of this power. These spells were just the basic, I could do these without a wand.”

“Just basic he says” Yoroi whispered.

“And how powerful are you?” _How many more threats are out there,_ the Hokage didn’t say.

Tom paused.

“I admit.. My skill level is far above the average wizard. This is due to multiple factors that include my heritage and perseverance. If I have apprentices here, I would like for them to learn under my clan name, Slytherin. There are.. very few of my.. _clan_ who could compete with me. If any of the others did survive.” Tom grimaced.

“And how do we know you will not use this power against us?” Homura said shrilly.

Tom raised an eyebrow. He supposed it would not be prudent to say that if he wanted to harm them, he would have done so already.

“That is between the Hokage and I” He said instead. Sarutobi for his part pursed his lips and shot him a look of betrayal. Tom smirked.

“Come Hiruzen..” Danzo sneered. “It seems.. that you have forgotten to keep us informed of crucial information”

Tom raised both his eyebrows at the impudence.

The Hokage gave Danzo a long look, when Danzo huffed and stalked out with rest of the council.

“Hokage-sama”

“Yes, Voldemo-san” Sarutobi looked at him, still a little dazed.

“Are you in a relationship with Shimura Danzo?”

“What?!” Sarutobi spluttered, while the men around him paled.

“Well.. it's just that-“ A hand smacked on his mouth cutting him short.

“I apologise on behalf of Voldemo-san, Hokage-sama” Sakumo snapped up quickly with a beaming smile.

When Sarutobi eventually regained colour, he snapped out orders. “Inoki-kun, Yoroi-kun and Sakumo-kun.. the three of you are in charge of filing a detailed report of Voldemo-san’s capabilities. What the file contains..” he trailed off looking at the door. “Is up to your jurisdiction. But I do require an additional verbal report tomorrow at 1200 hrs. Understood?”

“Hai!” They said in unison.

“And Voldemo-san..” Sarutobi placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a kind smile.

“Yes, Hokage-sama?”

“It is not required of you to explain the how’s and why’s of your Kekke Genkai. That information is your own, and no one can force you to divulge it. Additionally, I implore for you to be careful. Even inside the village.” Sarutobi’s eyes grew hard. “I am placing additional guards on you. You will be introduced soon.”

Tom nodded at the man and watched him walk away. Was it strange that he offered assistance? What was his agenda?

He turned around to face his.. _allies._ They were an interesting mix of curious, excited and cautious. Tom sighed.

“Take me to a private training ground, and I will answer all of your questions.”

Sakumo whooped. “Training ground 50!” he yelled, before they all sunshinned away.. to find out more about the mystery that was Tom Marvolo Riddle.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic is written by GivemeRiddle and can be found on ffnet under the same username; please do not copy this to any other site.


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